InsideFume
A complete sleeper replacement is expensive, complex and ties up the track for weeks. InsideFume® is the alternative: wooden sleepers that are still sufficiently firm are treated directly in the track and are then guaranteed to remain in service for another eight years. At around 14 per cent of the cost of a replacement.
The treatment works during ongoing operations or during a maintenance window. The track does not need to be removed.
InsideFume® is a dazomet-based biocidal product. In damp wood, it breaks down into MITC gas, spreads independently as a gas throughout the timber sill, and combats fungal, bacterial and insect infestations there. Unlike surface treatment, it tackles the root cause of the decay from the inside.
The method has been proven in practice for over 20 years and is authorised under European BPR.
Track, switch and bridge sleepers made from all types of wood, impregnated or unimpregnated, are suitable as long as the decay has not progressed too far.
We determine in advance whether a threshold is suitable by carrying out a condition assessment. For this, we use a percussion test or the IML Resi drill, which measures the drilling resistance in the wood:
Even before installation. Raw, unimpregnated bridge sleepers, as have been used for years on bridges over water, can be treated prior to installation and subsequently re-treated at eight-year intervals. This increases their service life considerably, by up to 30 years.
Treatment takes place directly on the track and can be carried out flexibly during line closures as well as during ongoing operations.
Step 1: Mark, drill, vacuum
Five holes with a diameter of 18 millimetres and a drilling depth of 14 centimetres each are drilled per sleeper. The resulting drill chips are completely vacuumed up so that the borehole remains clear and no track contamination occurs.
Step 2: Pour and accelerate
Between 20 and 25 grams of InsideFume® are poured into each borehole, making a total of around 110 grams per sleeper. A copper-amine solution is then added as a reaction accelerator, which allows the biocide to disperse more quickly within the wooden sleeper.
Step 3: Close and seal
All boreholes are permanently and weather-proofed sealed using special dowels. The active ingredient distributes itself independently within the wood, combats any existing wood pests and protects the timber plate against them in the long term.
Capacity: approx. 200 to 250 railway sleepers per day
pan drawing sideways
The procedure
Only three steps
The treatment takes place directly on the track, during line closures as well as during normal operations, at a rate of around 200 to 250 sleepers a day. Choose a step.
Method and active ingredient: Fürstenberg-THP GmbH, Hüfingen. We carry out the treatment at the threshold in the track.
A documented condition check before and after the treatment makes the success of the measure objectively verifiable and creates planning reliability.
Using a tapping test or the IML-Resi drill, the condition of all sleepers is inspected and documented. If there are enough wooden sleepers in a sufficient condition, we recommend treatment with InsideFume®.
First, all the wooden sleepers deemed to be in good condition are professionally treated with InsideFume®. Afterwards, five percent of the treated sleepers are selected for a subsequent condition check and marked with a nail. Following the treatment, the service life of the wooden sleepers is guaranteed for another eight years.
After eight years, the previously marked wooden sleepers are tested for their strength again. If they remain in a good condition, they can be treated again and guaranteed to remain in the track for another eight years. The repetition is simplified by the dowel design: the dowel simply needs to be removed, after which the biocide can be easily replenished.
Next step
Book a condition check
Before commissioning a sleeper replacement, it is worth taking a look at the wood. We check the condition of your sleepers and tell you honestly whether InsideFume® is an option for your track.
