Thanks to Premium Technologies geopolymer injection methods, it is possible to eliminate subsidence of railway ballast, as well as stabilize concrete slabs of railway crossings, tunnels, stations, stations or depots without changing the train schedule.
Railway infrastructure facilities include not only sections of the tracks themselves, but also a wide range of elements of the transport system. These include railway bridges, tunnels, stations and stations, depot premises, facilities for repair and maintenance of warehouses, etc. All of them experience regular operational loads, as well as the influence of the environment and groundwater.
The design of railway tracks involves the arrangement of a ballast layer of crushed stone or other bulk material, on which the rail pair is laid. Long-term operation of the track leads to the fact that in some sections of the railway track, ballast subsidence occurs, which changes the position of individual rails. When the rail subsidence exceeds the permissible value, the risk of emergency situations increases. Thanks to Premium Technologies technologies, subsidence of individual sections of the rail track can be eliminated in just a few hours without dismantling structural elements.
STRENGTHENING OF RAILWAY BALLAST
To strengthen the soil at the base of the railway track and eliminate ballast subsidence, it is not necessary to dismantle the rail pair and carry out backfilling and strengthening of the ballast. When using Premium Technologies 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 fill all cavities and voids, and then the uniform expansion of the geopolymer material will create the necessary vertical pressure and eliminate rail subsidence.
STABILIZATION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE PLATES
On some sections of railway tracks, primarily at level crossings, as well as in tunnels, at railway stations, stations or depots, rails are laid on reinforced concrete slabs. Here, subsidence of individual slabs is also possible. This often occurs due to disruptions in the operation of drainage structures, when soil erosion begins under the reinforced concrete and cavities and voids are formed.
In this case, it is necessary to strengthen the soil and stabilize the position of concrete elements. Premium Technologies technologies allow this to be done without dismantling the slabs and rails by injecting geopolymers under the reinforced concrete slab. Two geopolymer injection technologies are used for this. In order to strengthen the soil at a great depth under the railway track, geopolymers are injected using the Deep Lifting method. And for direct alignment of concrete slabs, the Floor Lifting technology is used.
FEATURES OF GEOPOLYMERS INJECTION
To deliver 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 carried out through special tubes with a diameter of 8-14 mm, where geopolymers are supplied through hoses. The rise of reinforced concrete structures and sections of the rail track is controlled using 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 allows the repair of the railway coating to be carried out as quickly as possible and without disrupting the schedule of regular transportation.