25.01 2022
Thanks to GeoResin geopolymer injection methods, it is possible to eliminate subsidence of railway ballast, as well as to stabilize concrete slabs of railway crossings, tunnels, railway stations, stations or depots without changing the train schedule.
Railway infrastructure objects include not only the direct sections of the communication routes, but also a wide list of elements of the transport system. This includes railway bridges, tunnels, stations and depots, facilities for repair and maintenance of warehouses, etc. All of them experience regular operating loads, as well as the influence of the environment and groundwater.
The construction of railway tracks involves the arrangement of a ballast layer made of crushed stone or other loose material, on which a pair of rails is laid. Long-term operation of the track leads to the fact that on some sections of the railway bed, ballast settles, due to which the position of individual rails changes. When the sag of the rails exceeds the permissible value, the risk of emergency situations increases. Thanks to GeoResin technologies, the subsidence of individual sections of the rail web can be eliminated in just a few hours without dismantling structural elements.
In order to strengthen the soil at the base of the railway track and eliminate subsidence of the ballast, it is not necessary to dismantle the rail pair and to fill and strengthen the ballast. When using GeoResin methods, it is enough to make several injections of geopolymer resins under the ballast or into the body of the ballast prism. The gradual introduction of geopolymers will lead to the filling of all cavities and voids, and then the uniform expansion of the geopolymer material will create the necessary vertical pressure and eliminate the subsidence of the rails.
On certain sections of railway tracks, primarily at road crossings, as well as in tunnels, railway stations, stations or depots, rails are laid on reinforced concrete slabs. Here it is also possible to sag individual slabs. This often happens due to malfunctions in the drainage structures, when under the reinforced concrete, erosion of the soil and the formation of cavities and voids begins.
In this case, it is necessary to strengthen the soil and stabilize the position of the concrete elements. GeoResin technologies allow you to do this without dismantling plates and rails by injecting geopolymers under the reinforced concrete slab. For this, two technologies of geopolymer injection are used. In order to strengthen the soil at a great depth under the railway track, geopolymers are injected using the Deep Lifting method. And for the direct leveling of concrete slabs, the Floor Lifting technology is used.
In order to supply the geopolymer material to the required depth, it is necessary to drill a well in the ballast of the prism or in the reinforced concrete coating. Injections are performed through special tubes with a diameter of 8-14 mm, where geopolymers are fed through hoses. The rise of reinforced concrete structures and sections of the rail track is controlled with the help of laser levels.
It is noteworthy that the geopolymer fills voids, structures, forms the necessary vertical pressure and gains 90% strength in just 15 minutes. This makes it possible to repair the railway surface as quickly as possible and without disrupting the schedule of regular transportation.
