Case Study
Extension of the East London Line (UK)

Adjusted stiffness in crossing areasand installation of side mats fordecoupling of the carriageway slabs

Universal track system for different
requirements such as tunnels, viaducts and narrows arches

Adaptable solution: Combinationof LVT and mass-spring system

Elastic Solutions for Track
Superstructures

Project description

Elastic systems

Extension of the East London Line

Trusted project partners

A

The railway design for the new sectionof the East London Line between
Dalston Junction and Shoreditch HighStreet was done by Balfour Beatty Railand were supported, in the area ofconcrete track slab and mass-spring
system design, by the Zurich-basedengineering ofice Heierli AG. Transport for London (TfL) commissioned ajoint venture of Balfour Beatty andCarillion as the general contractors, aconsortium of two of the largest construction irms in Europe. This joint
venture in turn commissioned Getzner
Werkstoffe with delivery of the elastic
components for the entire track superstructure.

s part of linking the East London
Line into the London Overgroundrail network, the existing East London
Underground Line was extended inboth directions and overhauled at thesame time. While this undergroundline was rather unimportant in thepast, following its integration with theLondon Overground network the EastLondon Line is now a central transport corridor for the entire region.
The opening of the East London Line
took place in 2010.

The East London Line passes throughtunnels and also traverses several
bridges and viaducts, some of whichhave tight curve radii. The challenge
was to plan a superstructure system
for the various permanent way structures which could be implemented
along the entire line. Above and beyond this, numerous buildings along
the line needed to be protectedagainst vibrations.

Combination of LVT andmass-spring systemThe planners in charge of the project decided on a combination oflight mass-spring systems andindividual concrete sleepers on anelastic pad. As a result, it was possible
to construct suitable superstructures
for all of the different structures. For
the entire slab track section including
the turnouts, the Low Vibration Track(LVT) superstructure system wasused. In track sections with more
stringent requirements, the LVT system was complemented with a lightmass-spring system using Sylomer®
mats by Getzner. Construction of thetrack was rendered much easier andfaster by the continuous use of theLVT superstructure.

LVT System
The LVT system uses reinforced concrete blocks which are separated
from the concrete of the track slab bya rubber boot. On the bottom of theconcrete blocks, the rubber boot has
an elastic insert pad, in this particularcase made of Getzner’s Sylodyn® material. The Sylodyn® insert pad has a
precisely deined thickness and stiffness in order to ensure uniform rail
delection and thus guarantee continuous track elasticity.
Mass-spring system
With regard to the bearings for thelight mass-spring system, the engineering ofice speciied mats thatmust exhibit the necessary physicalproperties, with excellent durability
and high quality. Getzner Werkstoffe’s
Sylomer® MFS 2255 comprehensively
satisied the tender requirements forphysical properties in terms ofdurability and quality.
Tuning stiffness
With the help of transition zones, thecontractors were able to adjust thestiffness in the areas of transition
between standard track superstructure without a mass-spring systemand standard track superstructurewith a mass-spring system. Also atransition zone was installed whereslab track changed to ballasted track.
Compared to the mats which wereregularly used, the Sylomer® matsinstalled in these transition zones had
a different stiffness.
Colour coding for orientation
In order to ensure that there would be
no confusion between the mats forthe regular parts of the track and thetransition zones, on the customer’srequest, Getzner produced theSylomer® mats with different stiffnesses in two different colours. This
production change made a large difference in terms of simplifying transport, storage and installation of themats.
Side mats made of Sylomer® MFS
2255 were another component of thelight mass-spring system. These matswere installed to ensure completede-coupling of the track slab and toprevent any sound bridges. The sidemats were installed vertically on bothsides of the track slab. The height ofthe side mats depended on the thickness of the track slab.
In order to neutralize the shearing
forces arising in the loating slab, socalled ‘shear keys’ were built into theconcrete trough. These shear keys
also had to be insulated in order toprevent sound bridges. A combinationof the materials Sylomer® andSylodyn® was used for this, which
was installed on the construction site
together with the other mats for themass-spring system. Here again,
colour coding of the materials madethe installation work much easier.
Getzner employees were on-site toassist, in particular when the Sylomer®
bearings began to be installed, as wellas throughout the construction phase.
They were in direct contact with theworkers to show how quick and easy it
is to install the Sylomer® mats. Many
construction companies gladly takeadvantage of this service offered byGetzner.
Getzner Werkstoffe: developer,manufacturer and installation
consultant
Getzner Werkstoffe is more thanjust a developer and manufacturerof materials for vibration mitigationand isolation. The company is also anexperienced consultant in all construction engineering issues related
to vibration and isolation. Getzner’s
experts are integrated into the systemdevelopment and implementation ofprojects from the very beginning.

Data and facts at a glance
Operator:
Transport for London
Construction period: October 2006 to January 2010
Track length:
Complete track length with LVT: ~11 kmCombination LVT + light mass-spring system: ~1.3 km
Turnouts with LVT: 18
Turnouts with LVT + light mass-spring system: 8
Planned opening:
April 2010
Contract volume:
EUR 1.2 Mio.
Solution:
Combination of LVT andmass-spring system
Volume of materials: 90 tons of PU materials by Getzner
Line capacity:
35.4 Mio. passengers per year

Data and fats regarding Getzner Werkstoffe GmbHFoundation:
1969 (as a subsidiary of Getzner, Mutter & Cie)
Chief Executive Oficer: Ing. Jürgen Rainalter
Employees:340
2015 turnover:EUR 77.9 million
Business areas:
Railway, construction, industry
Headquarter:
Bürs (AT)
Locations:
Berlin (DE), Munich (DE), Stuttgart (DE),
Lyon (FR), Amman (JO), Tokyo (JP),Pune (IN), Beijing (CN), Kunshan (CN),Charlotte (USA)
Ratio of exports:
85 %AUSTRIA — Bürs GERMANY — Berlin — Munich — Stuttgart FRANCE — Lyon
JAPAN — Tokyo INDIA — Pune CHINA — Beijing USA — CharlotteThis project was realized in cooperation
with our UK Agent:Lesmac Flexible Solutions Ltd
73 Dykehead Street
Queenslie Industrial Estate
Glasgow G33 4AQ
United Kingdom
T +44-141-774-0004
sales@lesmac.co.ukJORDAN — Amman
www.getzner.com

CS E.L.L. en © Copyright by Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH | 03-2016

Project East London Line