PRS Neoloy® Tough-Cells Railway Track Reinforcement Improves Track Quality and Reduces Maintenance
PRS Neoloy 3D mechanical stabilization technology maintains track geometry and reduces maintenance by 6.7x.
The Railway Construction Challenge
Railway track geometry and maintenance is very sensitive to the track substructure, subgrade and/or ballast conditions and train speeds and loads. In fact, the cost of maintaining such infrastructure over time (Total Cost of Ownership) determines the economic worthiness and success of track engineering solutions and not the initial railway construction or rehabilitation cost.
The Neoloy Tough-Cells Track Reinforcement Solution
Neoloy Tough-Cells at the ballast/subgrade interface area have shown to decrease the rate of track surface geometry degradation (both surface and cross-level) under a range of traffic loadings.
The ability of PRS-Neoloy railway track reinforcement solutions to reduce the rate of degradation, particularly in track subject to a high rate of high degradations, is of great value for both in the construction of new railway lines and in the rehabilitation of existing lines.
The Neoloy stabilized railway benefits are better track quality, higher train speeds and loads, less downtime, lower maintenance costs, and more profitable operations,
Why Use Neoloy Tough-Cells to Reinforce Railway Track
The NPA (Novel Polymeric Alloy) material in PRS Neoloy enables a high modulus, creep resistant and strong cell, based on the following performance properties, validated by ISO and ASTM standard testing procedures:
- Elastic Stiffness (Dynamic Modulus) – maintain stiffness under dynamic loading > 500 MPa @ 60°C.
- Permanent Deformation (Creep) – less than 3% at the end of design life
- Cell Tensile Strength – maintain geocell geometry under load, 20-30 kN/m
Neoloy Tough-Cells offer cost-effective ground reinforcement solution for substructure layers, embankments, turnouts and train yards, as well for earth stabilization solutions for slope protection, railway abutments and earth berms and noise barriers.
Benefits
- Trackbed stabilization – Neoloy alters physical and mechanical properties.
- Ballast life extended – by reduced lateral displacement, vertical settlement and aggregate attrition.
- Neoloy strength – high stiffness, dimensional stability and low creep under loading preserve track geometry.
- Reduce layer thickness – reduce sub-ballast layer and use locally available soils for sub-ballast.
- More effective than geogrids – does not require high grade aggregate and has 3D zone of influence.
- Easy and fast deployment – all-weather, easy and fast installation minimizes downtime.
- Improved performance – reduce vibrations, track deflection, and smooth transitions between areas of differing subgrades.
- Improved rolling stock performance – up to 40% heavier loads and 30% faster speeds over the same track.
- Operating expenses – stabilized rails reduce vibration and rolling stock wear & tear
- Sustainable – use of marginal infill preserves quarry resources, lowers hauling and pollution.
- Reduce maintenance – extend maintenance surfacing cycles.
- Cost effective installation – saves construction time, equipment and aggregate.
- Low total cost of ownership – durability extends track maintenance periods by >3x (perpetual superstructure).