In the vast world of railway engineering, sleepers are nameless heroes silently carrying the heavy pressure of trains. They lie horizontally under the railway tracks, enduring the erosion of wind and rain, fearless of insects and ants, and persevering for decades. Behind this, the production process of anti-corrosion sleepers, especially the selection and treatment of sapwood and heartwood, determines their fate. Edge wood and heartwood, like the two protagonists in the world of sleepers, each exhibit different styles in the production of anti-corrosion sleepers with their unique characteristics.

sapwood

Sapwood, located on the outer layer of the tree trunk, is the most active part of the tree's growth process. Its characteristic is that the structure is relatively loose and the density is relatively low. In the production of anti-corrosion sleepers, when anti-corrosion oil is injected into the wood under high pressure, the edge wood can quickly absorb and evenly distribute the anti-corrosion oil, forming a dense protective layer. This efficient absorption capacity gives sapwood significant advantages in resisting fungal and insect erosion. The edge wood sleepers that have undergone anti-corrosion treatment can maintain stability for a long time in humid and insect infested environments, and are not easily decomposed.

heartwood

Heartwood, located in the central part of the trunk, is the gradually hardening part of a tree during its growth process. It is like a warrior who has gone through many vicissitudes, hard and deep, with a tight texture, dark color, rich in resin and natural anti-corrosion substances. In the production of anti-corrosion sleepers, heartwood, with its natural toughness, has become the "soul of toughness" in the anti-corrosion process.

The tight structure of heartwood poses certain challenges in anti-corrosion treatment. The anti-corrosion oil is difficult to quickly penetrate the heartwood, resulting in a slow absorption rate and difficulty in reaching the oil immersion depth that the sapwood can reach. However, the natural anti-corrosion properties of heartwood make up for this deficiency. It itself contains resin and other natural anti-corrosion ingredients, which can effectively resist the invasion of fungi and insects. Therefore, even if the depth of immersion in oil is slightly lower than that of sapwood, heartwood sleepers can still perform well in harsh environments.

In terms of immersion depth, sapwood is indeed easier to have a deeper immersion depth compared to heartwood, but generally speaking, both sapwood and heartwood can have better anti-corrosion ability as long as the immersion depth is greater than 13 millimeters. Even for heartwood, achieving a immersion depth of 13 millimeters in oil is not difficult.

Both sapwood and heartwood exhibit unique advantages and characteristics when used separately to produce anti-corrosion sleepers. Edge wood, with its efficient anti-corrosion treatment capability and economic practicality, has become an ideal choice in medium load environments; And heartwood, with its natural anti-corrosion properties, excellent waterproof ability, and long service life, has become the preferred choice in high load and high humidity environments.

conclusion

Sapwood and heartwood play completely different roles in the production of anti-corrosion sleepers. The rapid absorption of anti-corrosion oil by sapwood and the natural anti-corrosion properties of heartwood make anti-corrosion sleepers exhibit significant advantages in anti-corrosion, waterproofing, and service life. They jointly compose a legend about durability and resilience, becoming an indispensable part of railway engineering.