Traction Enhancement

Adhesion between vehicle wheels and rail is dictated by top of rail surface conditions/contamination. We have developed the TGA3 to be capable of distributing approved traction enhancing materials directly to the position on the rail where they are required. It is specifically configured to distribute L.B. Foster traction enhancer ALLEVIATE.

The deployment of traction enhancing material can be both a seasonal and all year round requirement. In the autumn, loss of traction results from seasonal leaf fall with the leaves covering the running rails creating a slippery surface. Throughout the year there are certain areas of track where traction is an issue; for example, wet rail phenomenon or where vehicles have to travel up inclines. Loss of adhesion results in braking and traction problems, which in turn lead to potential signal failures (loss of track circuit detection), station overruns and insufficient traction on inclines. The result being train delays, operational disruption and wheel damage.

ALLEVIATE traction enhancing material combats seasonal and all year-round adhesion issues, including leaf fall and wet rail phenomenon.

The formulation of ALLEVIATE is supported by extensive analysis at all stages of the development project, including field trials, laboratory study and performance testing on the SUROS twin disk machine at the University of Sheffield.