In the future, the railways have decided to coat the tracks with a mixture of zinc and aluminum instead of zinc alone. This decision has been taken after being disturbed by accidents due to the erosion of the tracks. This will make the tracks last longer and fractures will also be reduced. These tracks will be used especially in coastal areas, where the tracks are damaged quickly due to the alkaline weather and humidity. The Railway Board has given its approval to the zonal railways and rail manufacturers for the use of this mixture by the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO).
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Indian railway network has been struggling with the problem of erosion of tracks for a long time. Due to this, not only the tracks lose their firmness ahead of time, but it also keeps them at risk of fractures and accidents due to that. In order to deal with this problem, in 2005, the Railway Board decided to do zinc metallization (coating) on the tracks. In 2006, RDSO also set its standards. Under this, four upper layers were followed by the original layer of zinc on the tracks after production. But over time this technology has become outdated because in developed countries, to make rail metallization more sustainable, instead of using zinc alone, a mixture of zinc and aluminum (85% zinc and 15% aluminum) is being used.
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The cost of this technique is also not high because only one surface coating is required. The special feature of zinc-aluminum coating is that only this upper layer is damaged during the corrosion process of the track. While the inner steel remains as safe as possible. Coating on railway tracks can be easily done with the help of electric arc spray and blasting equipment etc. by the trained staff in railway workshop equipped with suitable equipment. These tracks, made of special steel, are generally 12 years old but due to corrosion, it often starts losing its firmness within 2-3 years. This causes cracks in it which is the major cause of train accidents.