Optimising turnouts and transitions, cutting costs

Buers (Austria), Muenster (Germany). At the iaf trade fair in Muenster at the end of May 2017, Getzner Werkstoffe will be addressing a pertinent question: How can you bring under control the costs involved in maintenance-heavy areas of a railway track, such as transitions and turnouts? On their stand, the vibration experts will show how their elastic solutions reduce the amount of maintenance work required, thus reducing life cycle costs.

Getzner, the leading specialist for vibration isolation, is presenting its latest solutions for the optimisation of transitions and turnouts at the 27th iaf (the international exhibition for track technology) from 30th May to 1st June 2017 in Muenster. “Track transitions and turnouts have a significant influence on the efficiency of a track, as they determine its availability. For example, turnouts account on average for only one percent of the investment costs, but are responsible for a quarter of the maintenance costs,” stresses Juergen Rainalter, Chief Executive Officer of Getzner. The focus of the trade fair will lie on the sleeper pad, mass-spring system and under ballast mat products.

Balancing out variations in stiffness
Turnouts and transitions are subjected to particularly heavy loads, as they form a point of impact between high dynamic forces and different subsoil stiffnesses. The Getzner solutions aim to balance out these variations in stiffness in the superstructure: “We can optimise these critical areas by using our Sylomer® and Sylodyn® materials to ensure the appropriate elasticity,” explains Juergen Rainalter. This is because a slab track made of concrete, for example, has less elasticity than a ballasted track, which is why this is where the greatest wear and thus the highest maintenance costs arise, unless a vibration protection solution is installed. Turnouts optimised by Getzner have been installed for a number of clients, including Crossrail (UK), TTCI (US), Riyadh Metro (SA), S11D Project, Vale (BR) and in the Fengtai West Railway Station BRB (CN).

Successful major projects
In 2016, Getzner was able to successfully implement numerous projects in the rail sector. One such project was the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland – the longest railway tunnel in the world – that was opened in June. The vibration protection in the tunnel was supplied by Getzner. Approximately 250 trains travel through it daily at speeds of up to 250 km/h. Getzner also landed the largest contract for floating floors for rolling stock in the company's history. The rail vehicle manufacturer Hitachi extended its supply contract with Getzner that had been in place since 2014. As a result, Getzner is equipping all rail cars manufactured up to 2018 for the British “InterCity Express Programme” with elastic floating floors made from Sylomer® Fire-retardant.

A unique trade fair experience
The effect of vibration protection solutions can be experienced interactively on Getzner's trade fair strand. A vibrating model, developed specifically for trade fairs, allows visitors to experience the effect of vibrations first-hand. With over 200 exhibitors from 18 countries, iaf 2017 is the largest international trade fair for track technology. Getzner will be in attendance on Stand 221, Hall North.