If you think a pillow is just a piece of wood that can be easily stepped on, then you underestimate it! Before becoming the backbone of the railway, every pine tree undergoes a transformation from a novice to a hardcore - wearing a divine outfit called "oil armor".
Material selection: The "rough man" potential of pine wood
Why pine wood? Of course not because it smells like a Christmas tree! Pine wood has straight patterns and tough wood, naturally possessing the "anti construction" gene, making it a special forces seedling in the world of sleepers. But native pine wood is like an inexperienced otaku, afraid of water, insects, and fungi. Any rain can make it "emo moldy". At this point, a deep SPA - oil immersion anti-corrosion treatment - became its turning point of counterattack.
Forging oil armor: a baptism of high temperature and high pressure
This set of "oil armor" is not as simple as brushing layer paint. Its scientific name is high-pressure oil immersion anti-corrosion technology, which can be called the "Golden Bell Cover Iron Cloth Shirt" in the world of sleepers.
Step 1: Drying and dehumidification. Fresh pine wood needs to be sun dried first to remove excess water from the body, otherwise the oil armor will not be strong enough to wear.
Step 2: Cut the scratch. The logs need to be processed into square rectangular sleepers, and then scratched on the surface to prepare for oil immersion and anti-corrosion treatment.
Step 3: Inject oil and pressurize. The highlight is here! Anti corrosion oil is forcibly injected deeper into the wood under high pressure, and the oil immersion depth can reach more than 13 millimeters - equivalent to wearing a thick bulletproof vest on the wood. From then on, rainwater cannot penetrate, pests cannot bite, and even fungi have to shake their heads and retreat.
Finally, drain and solidify. The sleepers of the tank will drip excess oil and gradually form a dense oil film on the surface, which is the complete form of the "oil nail"!
What is the strength of oil armor body protection?
Waterproof Max: The oil armor fills the pores of the wood, and rainwater can only "slip" on the outer shell, never penetrating into the inner wood layer again.
Bug proof Buff: The moths originally wanted to eat, but they chewed on it with an industrial flavor and fled the scene directly.
Pressure resistance bonus: The pine wood fibers soaked in oil are more resilient, allowing them to withstand repeated damage from rails and trains, remaining steadfast.
Life span: Ordinary wood rots after being buried in soil for three to five years, while sleepers with oil armor can easily withstand up to 30 years at a much lower cost than concrete or steel!
The Silent Guardian at the Feet of the Steel Dragon
These "oil armored soldiers" are neatly laid on the ballast, using their shoulders to support two steel rails, and day after day they bear the triple test of dynamic impact, temperature deformation, and biological invasion. If there were no oil armor, the sleepers might have already become soft and rotten in the damp, hollowed out by insects, and even caused deformation of the track gauge
The armor of humans is made of metal, while the armor of sleepers is made of oil refining. This seemingly rustic "oil armor" actually embodies the tenderness of industrial wisdom: it transforms perishable wood and creates the most enduring gentle power under thousands of miles of railway tracks.
