E-Bond 84 / 84S PU binder a railway ballast binder, is a two-component polyurethane (PU) system developed for the reinforcement and stabilization of loose bulk ballast stones on railway tracks.
Its features a porous structure that allows rainwater and other liquids and solvents to pass through for better drainage. Yet it binds the loose stones together, preventing them from flying and pulverization, which result in savings of maintenance cost.
Insufficient ballast at the sleeper head can lead to track distortion, particularly,where radii are tight and before signals, switches and platforms.Ballast bonding prevents ballast movement and, in the form of deep bonding to the lower edge of the ballast bed, greatly enhances resistance to lateral displacement. Ballast bonding is environmentally friendly and improves the track’s stability.
Ballast track and slab track not only exhibit different compressive strengths and compactions but also different elasticity values. To maintain safety and passenger comfort as well as preserve the rolling stock, the entire surface of expansion joints can be bonded. The bonding is V-shaped to ensure a smooth rolling transition.
Full-surface ballast bonding (below the rubber pads) can also play a valuable role in considerably extending the service life of level crossings (when a track section crosses a road without a change in height).
The suction resulting from high-speed trains causes flying ballast. This can result in damage to the tracks, the trains and facilities in areas adjacent to the tracks. Full-surface ballast bed bonding prevents track ballast from being whirled up and tossed about.
Coloured ballast bonding can be used to make ballast surfaces easier for rescue services to cross or to mark accident black spots associated with unauthorised track crossings.
Ballast bonding is also expedient in the vicinity of public buildings or stadiums to prevent ballast stones being misused as missiles against security staff.
To reduce the cost of cleaning the track ballast in train stop areas and at railway stations, we recommend using full-surface bonding – if necessary in combination with a fine granulate in the upper ballast area.
If the track ballast is not bonded, ballast stones are sucked up with the dirt during mechanical cleaning using suction equipment, damaging the screens and filters. The use of high-pressure cleaners can also cause the ballast to shift. Bonding the ballast near to the surface enables optimum processing by the facility management team.
As the ballast is spot-bonded, the ballast track’s water permeability is entirely maintained, eliminating the danger of shifting or washouts even during heavy rainfall or cleaning work with high-pressure cleaners 。
