Railway Operator Repair Torn Aluminium Conduit Pipe Carrying Cables Attached Underneath Train
A railway operator in the United Kingdom repair and reinforce a torn aluminium conduit pipe attached underneath a train after repeated impact damage caused by stones and ballast flying up from the track bed left electrical cables dangerously exposed.
Case Study Overview
Site Rail network
Location United Kingdom
Pipe Type Aluminium conduit pipe
Repair Type Pipe repair and reinforcement
Products SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Pipe Defect
Areas of the railway network in the United Kingdom are powered by a third rail system. Rather than electricity coming from overhead cables, it is supplied to trains from a powered conductor rail on the track bed.
Metal blocks – known as shoegears – underneath the train make contact with the third rail. They take electrictiy from it, which then flows into the power systems of the train through a series of cables in conduit pipes also attached underneath.
One rail operator found that when trains were hitting high speeds in sections of the network where the ballast track bed was loose, stones were becoming airborne and damaging the aluminium conduit pipe.
Repeated impact over time caused the aluminium to tear, leaving the electrical cables inside dangerously exposed and at risk of being damaged themselves.
The rail operator needed to repair the holes and provide better protection to the conduit pipe from future damage – all without having to take the train out of service for a long period of time.
SylWrap Solution
Sylmasta recommended wrapping SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage along the conduit pipe to cover the torn areas and provide the aluminium with a robust outer casing.
Unlike other suppliers of moisture cured wraps who import from Asia or the United States, Sylmasta manufacture the SylWrap range on-site in the UK using their world-leading composite pipe repair production facility.
It was therefore possible to produce a customised run of SylWrap HD based on the rail operator’s requirements. Black dye was used to colour SylWrap black instead of standard white and help better disguise the finished repair.
Special inhibitors were also added to make the bandages more fire retardant, enabling them to comply with stringent safety regulations governing materials used on the rail network.
Rail workers accessed the bottom of the train and applied eight layers of SylWrap HD to all areas of the conduit pipe requiring and protection. The fast working resin set within minutes, curing to form a rock hard, impact resistant shell around the pipe.
Outcome
When stones, ballast and any other loose materials now flew up from the track bed, they would be repelled by eight layers of SylWrap HD rather than coming into contact and causing impact damage to the aluminium conduit pipe.
The repair was completed inside a day and with a huge cost saving compared to replacing the conduit pipe. The train returned to service with the rail operator confident the pipe was fully protected.
Follow Up
Sylmasta being the only company in Europe manufacturing their own pipe repair bandages proved vital to the success of this application by enabling customised SylWrap HD to be produced, meeting the requirements of the UK rail network and with minimal lead time.
Other repair, maintenance and refurbishment projects have since been discussed between rail operators and Sylmasta.
Products Used
SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap creates a rock hard, impact resistant shell around pipework
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