A vibration dampening boot for railway tie blocks and a method of manufacturing railway tie block assemblies. The boot includes a bottom wall with resilient tie block contact structures disposed at different heights for initial tie block support and variable vibration dampening. The upper portion of the boot terminates in a removable wall connected to the side walls of the boot by a relatively thin tear strip to enable direct pouring of cast material, such as concrete or epoxy, into the boot for casting the tie block, with the wall removable after installation of the tie block assembly into a railway bed. In this manner, the boot may be used with pre-cast tie blocks as well as accommodate direct casting of the tie blocks within the boot to form a tie block assembly.

A vibration dampening boot for railway tie blocks and a method of manufacturing railway tie block assemblies. The boot includes a bottom wall with resilient tie block contact structures disposed at different heights for initial tie block support and variable vibration dampening. The upper portion of the boot terminates in a removable wall connected to the side walls of the boot by a relatively thin tear strip to enable direct pouring of cast material, such as concrete or epoxy, into the boot for casting the tie block, with the wall removable after installation of the tie block assembly into a railway bed. In this manner, the boot may be used with pre-cast tie blocks as well as accommodate direct casting of the tie blocks within the boot to form a tie block assembly.

An electronic tag (Radio-frequency identification) device for a rail traffic concrete prefabricated parts is disclosed, which comprises a bracket. A column is on a top of the bracket. There is a groove on a top end of the column. The electronic tag is inside groove. The electronic tag device further comprises a waterproof end cap which is put on the top of the column. The pressure relief holes, the release-proof clasps, the rebar clamps, the groove on the column, etc. ensure a stable fixation of the electronic tag inside the concrete railroad sleeper. The waterproof end cap is able to protect and fix the electronic tag.

An electronic tag (Radio-frequency identification) device for a rail traffic concrete prefabricated parts is disclosed, which comprises a bracket. A column is on a top of the bracket. There is a groove on a top end of the column. The electronic tag is inside groove. The electronic tag device further comprises a waterproof end cap which is put on the top of the column. The pressure relief holes, the release-proof clasps, the rebar clamps, the groove on the column, etc. ensure a stable fixation of the electronic tag inside the concrete railroad sleeper. The waterproof end cap is able to protect and fix the electronic tag.

Method of design and manufacturing concrete structures subjected to relevant cyclic loads along their service lives, as wind towers, and a fatigue testing machine. The method consists on the design of concrete structures conditioned by cyclic loads considering a fatigue strength value specified by the project as one of the main design parameters, which will be verified during the manufacturing phase as one of the control parameters of the quality assurance plan by performing fatigue strength test on concrete samples representative of the concrete structural elements produced on said manufacturing phase. The method allows to decouple the concrete fatigue strength from the compressive strength of the material, which is why includes a verification of the fatigue strength as a part of a quality assurance plan of production according to a new developed procedure.

A tie having a non-linear keyway under the overlying rail to provide support to restrain lateral and longitudinal movement of the rail. A fastening system to hold rails down on a tie comprises a rail plate that may be fastened to the tie within the keyway. The fasteners are protected to avoid damage in case of a derailment or other adverse conditions. Also disclosed are visual inspection mechanisms to assist with determining whether a fastening system is securely attached to the tie.

A tie having a non-linear keyway under the overlying rail to provide support to restrain lateral and longitudinal movement of the rail. A fastening system to hold rails down on a tie comprises a rail plate that may be fastened to the tie within the keyway. The fasteners are protected to avoid damage in case of a derailment or other adverse conditions. Also disclosed are visual inspection mechanisms to assist with determining whether a fastening system is securely attached to the tie.

An electronic tag (Radio-frequency identification) device for a rail traffic concrete prefabricated parts is disclosed, which comprises a bracket. A column is on a top of the bracket. There is a groove on a top end of the column. The electronic tag is inside groove. The electronic tag device further comprises a waterproof end cap which is put on the top of the column. The pressure relief holes, the release-proof clasps, the rebar clamps, the groove on the column, etc. ensure a stable fixation of the electronic tag inside the concrete railroad sleeper. The waterproof end cap is able to protect and fix the electronic tag.

Method of design and manufacturing concrete structures subjected to relevant cyclic loads along their service lives, as wind towers, and a fatigue testing machine. The method consists on the design of concrete structures conditioned by cyclic loads considering a fatigue strength value specified by the project as one of the main design parameters, which will be verified during the manufacturing phase as one of the control parameters of the quality assurance plan by performing fatigue strength test on concrete samples representative of the concrete structural elements produced on said manufacturing phase. The method allows to decouple the concrete fatigue strength from the compressive strength of the material, which is why includes a verification of the fatigue strength as a part of a quality assurance plan of production according to a new developed procedure.

Concrete that exhibits increased flexibility (i.e., low modulus of elasticity) and high compressive strength is described. High aspect ratio structures as may be formed of the concrete are described. Structures formed of the concrete can have the same high compressive strength as similar structures formed from a more conventional concrete, but can be significantly more flexible, which can allow for better load distribution in the structure and associated assembly. The concrete includes a weathered granite as course aggregate. The materials can be particularly beneficial in forming concrete components of a rail infrastructure, such as railroad ties and slabs.