In the field of railways, there are always various innovations and explorations, including not only tracks and trains, but also railway sleepers. In recent years, various carbonized wood products have become a hot topic. Some speculate whether carbonization treatment instead of oil immersion anti-corrosion treatment can replace traditional oil immersed sleepers. Today, Qingdao Tiehan will briefly analyze it with everyone.
Before starting the comparison, let's briefly introduce the carbonized sleepers and oil immersed sleepers. Carbonization treatment usually refers to the treatment of wood in a high-temperature environment, such as using a furnace or hearth to heat the wood to a high temperature state and carbonize it, causing carbonization on the surface of the wood and improving its corrosion resistance and durability. Oil immersed sleepers, on the other hand, soak wood in oil to increase its moisture resistance and corrosion resistance. Both have applications in railway engineering, but there are differences in practical use.
Although carbonized sleepers have certain advantages in terms of corrosion resistance and durability, their texture is relatively hard and prone to cracking and deformation. Due to the heavy load and high-speed travel of trains on the railway, the vibration and impact force are relatively large, and the carbonized sleepers are easily damaged, thereby affecting the stability and safety of the railway system. In contrast, oil immersed sleepers have better toughness and impact resistance, which can effectively absorb vibration and reduce the risk of wear and cracking on the surface of the sleepers.
In railway environments, sleepers that have undergone carbonization treatment are far inferior in terms of anti-corrosion ability compared to sleepers that have undergone oil immersion anti-corrosion treatment. Carbonized wood is usually found in parks, gardens, and other places when used outdoors. If used on railways, the carbonized layer on its surface will be worn away in a short period of time, resulting in a significant reduction in its service life. In contrast, oil immersed sleepers are less prone to wear and tear. During oil immersion treatment, the anti-corrosion oil can penetrate the wood to a depth of 10-13mm, and the service life can be as short as ten to fifty years.
In addition, the maintenance and replacement costs of oil immersed sleepers are relatively low. Oil immersed sleepers generally have a longer service life and are easy to maintain. Carbonized sleepers, due to their hard texture, are prone to damage under the heavy pressure of railways and trains, requiring more frequent maintenance and replacement, which increases maintenance costs and manpower and material resources investment.
Overall, although carbonized sleepers have advantages in durability and corrosion resistance under certain conditions, their hardness and vulnerability can affect the stability and safety of railway systems, and they are not as good as oil immersed sleepers in terms of anti-corrosion ability and economy. Therefore, oil immersed sleepers are more suitable for railway engineering compared to carbonized sleepers.
When selecting suitable sleeper materials, railway engineers need to comprehensively consider factors such as the strength, hardness, corrosion resistance, environmental friendliness, and economy of sleepers to ensure the safety and durability of the railway system. Carbonized sleepers and oil immersed sleepers each have their own characteristics, and reasonable choices should be made according to specific situations to contribute to the development and improvement of railway engineering.
