HOW TO MAKE CEMENT SLEEPERS

Do you want to know more about cement sleepers?

Making a decision on sleepers for your retaining wall is simple, especially if you want peace of mind that your wall will still look great ten years from now and that you are getting real value for your money. Cement sleepers are easy to install and there is little maintenance involved. Here is what you need to know about how to make cement sleepers.

1. What is a cement sleeper?

   A cement sleeper is a kind of railway sleeper or railroad tie made of steel-reinforced concrete. With the characteristics of water, heat, and corrosion resistance, cement sleepers have been widely used all over the world since 1950.

2. Why cement sleepers?

   Because of their low cost, high durability, and ease in construction and maintenance, cement sleepers will continue to be the popular components in modern construction systems. Using cement sleepers is environmentally friendly as cement can be recycled at the end while expansion and contraction with temperature changes is minimal.
   Cement sleepers are available in a range of colours and finishes to suit your style and there is minimal maintenance required to keep your retaining wall looking good. They are not affected by insect and termite attacks and do not rot. Cement sleepers do not split, warp, crack, expand, or shrink and are highly compatible with the underlying soil and rocks.
   The fire resistance of cement sleepers is outstanding, they do not burn. Due to the composition of material, cement sleepers have very good insulation and are therefore suitable for use in track circuited lines.

3. Making cement sleepers

   The recipe for the cement mix is 6 parts fine gravel, 4 parts sand and 2½ parts cement. After deciding on the basic design and dimensions of the cement sleeper, you need to make a metal mould. You can make a mould from 3mm galvanised steel plate. It is essential that the sides and ends of the mould are slightly tapered to allow removal of the completed sleeper after the concrete sets.
   Reinforcement bar (or ‘reo’ for short) is also required to both strengthen the sleeper, and to accurately position the rails. The reo assembly is bolted into the mould and the rail securing bolts are used to position and hold the assembly in place during pouring.
   The nuts seal the holes to prevent leakage of the wet cement. It is very important that a release agent be painted onto the mould internal surfaces prior to pouring, in order to get the completed sleeper out.

Looking for quality cement sleepers and more?

Contact Concrete Sleepers Sydney today, your one-stop shop for cement sleepers and retaining walls. We are the leading supplier of garden step kits, retaining walls, and cement sleepers of all kinds. We have several years of experience working with concrete sleepers and retaining walls, providing low-cost, affordable, quality concrete retaining walls to our customers.