Question

Why are railway tracks laid on large size concrete sleepers?

Answer 1

Hint:We know that the pressure applied by train on its track is given as the force applied by train per unit area. We are required to design tracks so that the force due to the train's weight is distributed evenly, due to which pressure can be minimized.

Complete step by step answer:
Railway tracks are subjected to the force due to the train's weight, and this force is to be withstood by concrete sleepers. We know that the force per unit area gives us the total pressure that acts on the body. From the definition of pressure, we can conclude that the larger area gives us a smaller value of pressure, or the lesser area gives us higher pressure. We also know that the force exerted by a train due to its weight is very high, so to transmit it evenly to the ground without rupture of ground, we need sleepers of larger surface area. Earlier railway sleepers were made up of wood, but due to the shortage of its availability and a shorter lifespan, they were replaced by concrete sleepers.
Therefore, we can conclude that to transmit trust due to the train's weight evenly to the ground; we need large-sized concrete sleepers.

Note:The sleeper serves another purpose: it closely intact two rails of a railway track for the train's smooth running. We also use rocks below the sleepers to reduce the penetration of sleepers into the ground.