Case Study
Successful Tests on theFengsha Heavy Haul Line, China

First application of Under Sleeper
Pads in China

No wear of the Under Sleeper Pad

Longer service life forsuperstructure components

Effective solution despite
extreme loads

Description of the project

The Getzner solution

On heavy haul lines in particular,
every element of the superstructure
is subjected to considerably higher
loads and thus increased wear.
Frequent maintenance repairs areinevitable. For important routes,
such as the Fengsha Line in China,
these interruptions quickly becomea problem. Getzner offers solutionsfor increased track availability.

future," Guanghui Wang says, head ofthe maintenance department at therailway authority in Beijing. "Getzner
came to us with an interestingsuggestion. The numerous reference
projects featuring Getzner products
and solutions all over the world
made us curious."T

To demonstrate the effectiveness ofGetzner solutions in the superstructure, part of the Fengsha Line wasconverted into a test section withGetzner Under Sleeper Pads. This
special application of Under Sleeper
Pads is not only new for this line, but
it is also the first of its kind in China. The installation was carried out
as part of maintenance work on theFengsha Line in April 2013.

he 206 km line, which connects
the Fengtai region in western
Beijing with the city of Shachengin the Hebei province, is one of themost important railway connections
in northern China. The double-trackroute has been electrified since 1984
and is operated and maintained by
the railway authority in Beijing.
Carrying coal, freight and passenger
trains, the availability of this line iscritical.
Future-proof planning"With the electrification of the line
and clearance limit of the existingtunnel, the ballast height is very low(100 mm) and therefore insufficient.
The lack of elasticity in the superstructure leads to damage to thesleepers and other components aswell as to accelerated ballast wear
– the consequence are frequentclosures. We want to avoid this in the

Test track to deliver results

Confirmed performanceT

he sleepers with Under Sleeper
Pads were installed in the transition area from open track to a tunnel – 200 padded sleepers in the tunnel itself and 100 in the approaching
section. In addition, the ballast underneath around 60 sleepers wascleaned, while the rest remained uncleaned. During the test period of oneyear, the test section of the superstructure was subjected to a load of
approximately 120 million metric tons.
Hardly any wear after one year
After the test phase, various padded
sleepers were removed from theballast bed and thoroughly examined.
"The results were impressive inevery respect," Kevin Dong says,

Excellent result: no damages
on the Under Sleeper Pad

Under Sleeper Pads ensure high ballastquality.

This was the first ever test of UnderSleeper Pads in China. The resultsimpressed everyone involved.
Feedback
the responsible project manager atGetzner. "The Under Sleeper Pads did
not exhibit any perforations, cracks,holes or other damage. The overall
condition of all the Under Sleeper
Pads examined was excellent."
Cleaning of the ballast plays animportant role
Inspection of the ballast also provided new insights. Its condition waschecked both in the sections withand without Under Sleeper Pads,
and in the sections with cleaned anduncleaned ballast. “Without UnderSleeper Pads and cleaning of the ballast, there were no longer any larger ballast stones present under thesleepers. The ballast had been completely destroyed," Kevin Dong reports. "The best ballast quality wasAdvantages for thecustomer— Significantly reduced
destruction of the ballast— Increased availability andprofitability— Less maintenance workand lower costs— Significantly improved
track geometry quality

found in the section with Under
Sleeper Pads and cleaned ballast. In
the section with padded sleepers but
uncleaned ballast the deteriorationof the ballast quality in comparison
with the unpadded reference section was considerably reduced." This
leads to the conclusion that Under
Sleeper Pads significantly extend theservice life of the ballast – and thus
the track even if the initial state of
the superstructure is suboptimal.
No track settlement in thetest area
Getzner Under Sleeper Pads ensure
improved load distribution and increase the contact surface between
sleeper and ballast. The load fromthe train is distributed over a larger number of sleepers and therefore
over a larger area. The ideal embedding of the ballast in the Under
Sleeper Pad stabilises the top levelof the ballast and reduces the direct
dynamic load on the ballast. This wasalso the case in the test section ofthe Fengsha Line. Furthermore, thelateral resistance was checked in collaboration with the renowned Jiao
Tong University in Beijing. "We weredelighted with the positive findings,"
Kevin Dong explains. The conclusion
was unequivocal: In line with the regulations of the CWR railway, the test
results met all requirements.

What does the customer state
about the project?
"These tests proved that Under
Sleeper Pads represent a way to significantly increase track availability,"
Guanghui Wang concludes, head ofthe maintenance department at therailway authority in Beijing.

Facts and figures at a glance
Operator:
Range of use:
Material used:
Load during the test phase:

Beijing Railway Bureau
Tunnel section no. 23 of the Fengsha Line
300 elasto-plastic Under Sleeper Pads SLB 1510 G
120 MGT

Founded:Chief Executive Officer:
Employees:
Turnover in 2018:
Business areas:
Headquarters:
Locations:

Ratio of exports:

1969 (as a subsidiary of Getzner, Mutter & Cie)Ing. Jürgen Rainalter
490 (360 in Bürs)
EUR 100.3 million
Railway, construction, industry
Bürs (AT)
Berlin (DE), Munich (DE), Stuttgart (DE), Lyon(FR), Amman (JO), Tokyo (JP), Pune (IN), Beijing(CN), Kunshan (CN), Charlotte (US), Decatur (US)93 %AUSTRIA — Bürs GERMANY — Berlin — Munich — Stuttgart FRANCE — Lyon
JAPAN — Tokyo INDIA — Pune CHINA — Beijing USA — Charlotte

JORDAN — Amman
www.getzner.com

CS Fengsha Heavy Haul Line en © Copyright by Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH | 05-2019

Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH