Protection of railway infrastructure objects against electrical corrosion

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a technological method of protection against electrical corrosion. One more way to protect the objects is to prevent the electrical current from getting to them. For example, railway objects are surrounded with a material with raised electrical resistance.

Design/methodology/approach

The railway infrastructure objects (foundations, contact-line supports, reinforced concrete sub-bases, bridge structures, pipelines of engineering networks, supports of passenger platforms and pedestrian bridges, concrete plinth walls of station buildings) are subjected to destruction due to the action of electrical current. One of destruction factors is a corrosion of the concrete constructions which is caused by the leakage current action.

Findings

Leakage currents and stray currents bypass the structure of supports of high passenger platforms or pipes of engineering networks. These currents spread by the line with the least resistance outside of the structures.

Research limitations/implications

Electrical leakage current from the rails gets into such structures through sleepers, ballast and soil and leads to accelerated corrosion leaching of concrete.

Practical implications

The constructions are protected against the destructive effect of electrical corrosion on the metal or concrete of the structure. This scheme is suitable for the construction and reconstruction of railway structures which operate on electrified sections of railways.

Originality/value

Schemes of technological solution are proposed for protection of foundations, supports of high passenger platforms, pipelines of engineering networks, etc. For this, the arrangement of soil-contained screens with big electrical resistance is suggested.

Citation

Trykoz, L., Kamchatnaya, S., Borodin, D., Atynian, A. and Tkachenko, R. (2021), "Protection of railway infrastructure objects against electrical corrosion", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 68 No. 5, pp. 380-384. https://doi.org/10.1108/ACMM-05-2021-2483