The WALTER method for the production of sleepers reflects the experience gained during the long-term development of pre-stressed concrete monoblock sleepers in Germany.
With the assistance of some of the major German construction companies - among them WALTER BAU-AG - the German Federal Railways started in 1949 a large scale
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experiment with approximately 3 million concrete sleepers of different types, in order to learn about the stress and strain resulting from the manifold combinations of various influences effecting the service life of concrete sleepers.
The findings of 4 years of research and comparative testing made the German Federal Railways finally decide for the pre-stressed monoblock
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sleeper to be used in the German track network. The sleeper type B 58 was used successfully until 1970, when it was supplemented by the technically more advanced sleeper type B 70.
This modern type of monoblock sleeper complies with the consultancy rising requirements relating to loads on the track and travelling speeds of the trains as usual today.
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It's advantages are higher load weight, lower ground pressure and higher load bearing capacity which results in a more stable bedding in the track and consequently in lower maintenance costs.
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