When it comes to railway sleepers, the ones that come to mind are definitely those dark and shiny woods. Many people know that the core secret to their ability to withstand wind, rain, insects, and bacteria for decades without breaking down is the process of "oil immersion anti-corrosion".

But if you think that throwing the sleepers into the oil pot and soaking them in it will make everything fine, then you are completely wrong.

Oil immersion is the decisive moment that gives sleepers anti-corrosion life; The preparation work before oil immersion determines whether the vitality injected at this moment can be strong and long-lasting. This is like seasoning a good dish, the key to flavor is the handling of the ingredients themselves. Today, let's talk about these crucial pre processes - drying and scoring - and how they double the oil immersion effect.

Waiting for the "tempering" of time: natural drying

The pine wood transported from the forest farm is full of water, like a sponge that has been soaked in water. What would happen if we were to directly put it into the anti-corrosion oil at this time?

The result is that the moisture inside the wood forms a strong barrier, firmly blocking the anti-corrosion oil from the outside. Oil cannot enter at all, it can only float on the surface, forming a thin layer of oil skin that falls off easily when rubbed. This kind of "anti-corrosion" treatment is undoubtedly a failure.

So, the first key preparation is natural drying.

These pine trees will be neatly stacked in an open-air yard with excellent ventilation, starting a months long "rest". This is not simply sunbathing, but a delicate process of utilizing natural forces to regulate water content.

When the moisture content of pine wood steadily drops from 30% -40% when fresh to below 25%, they complete their first transformation: they become lighter in weight, the knocking sound changes from dull to crisp, and there is ample space inside to absorb anti-corrosion oil.

Opening the way for anti-corrosion oil: the art of scoring

After completing the drying process, the wood is ready for "appetite", but how can we make the preservative oil eat deeper and more thoroughly? This requires the second key preparation: scoring.

You may feel heartbroken: Why dig or scratch numerous small holes or grooves on the surface of a good piece of wood?

This is precisely a manifestation of wisdom. The structure of pine wood is easy to penetrate vertically (along the grain), but horizontally (across the grain) it is like a copper wall and an iron wall. If the surface is smooth, it is difficult for the anti-corrosion oil to break through this barrier and penetrate deep into the core, resulting in uneven penetration depth.

Scratches are the proactive creation of countless miniature "highways" and "tunnels" on this "wall".

These fine marks directly break the dense surface layer of the wood, creating countless starting points for the anti-corrosion oil to penetrate directly into the interior. Oil agents can penetrate the wood tissue more evenly and quickly through these channels, forming a criss crossing protective network.

It can be said that every scratch is a corrosion-resistant lifeline that reaches deep into the wood.

The finishing touch: Oil immersion and ultimate sublimation

Only after the pine wood has completed the rigorous preparation work of drying and scoring, can it truly enter the decisive oil immersion stage.

At this moment, the dry wood is like a thirsty sponge, with channels for scratches extending in all directions. In the high-temperature and high-pressure process environment, the anti-corrosion oil can smoothly and unobstructed flow into every cell cavity of the wood. The ultimate goal is a uniform and full anti-corrosion protective layer with a depth of over 13 millimeters.

Looking back, you will find that there was no proper drying and scoring, and oil immersion may have only done a superficial job; And with their strong assistance, oil immersion can truly unleash the magic of turning stones into gold.

So, the next time you see those silently load-bearing black sleepers under the railway tracks, you may think of the wonderful preparatory journey they went through. It was the time of silence under the sunshine and the seemingly "destructive" scars that together forged its steel backbone that would withstand the wind and rain for decades to come.