Heat-resistant material ensures safe public transport in Szczecin

With 12 lines, 101 stops and around 66 kilometres of track, the tramway in Szczecin carries around 64 million passengers a year – making it the backbone of public transport in Poland’s seventh largest city. For the extensive restoration of the tram rails in the city centre of Szczecin due to start this year, Dortmunder Gußasphalt GmbH & Co. KG will supply its rail sealing compound BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV – a product that meets the high requirements in this area of application and ensures optimum adhesion between the rail and adjacent asphalt paving.

One of the high demands is the strong exposure to heat in summer. With direct sunlight and an air temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius, the asphalt can heat up to 80 degrees Celsius. One possible consequence: The rail sealing compound melts, making it impossible to travel over the tracks. Traffic remains at a standstill until the damage is repaired.

Heat resistance checked and tested
“As a leading manufacturer of road construction materials with many years of expertise in the field of tram rails, we’re aware of this problem,” explains Stefaan Haerinck, Sales Manager at the dga-Group. So together with its local processor, the company MBJ Plus s.c. – which has been purchasing dga products since 2003 via the Eastern European partner company of the dga-Group, BIGUMA BOHEMIA, s. r. o. – the company decided in favour of the bituminous, polymer-modified sealing compound BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV. Thanks to its composition, this compound is particularly resistant to prolonged exposure to high temperatures. This was successfully confirmed in extensive tests in the laboratory as well as in previous projects.
Furthermore, due to its plastic-elastic formulation, BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV enables an optimal balance between movement absorption and stress relief in the joint, thereby increasing the compound’s longevity. Stefaan Haerinck: “BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV helps us not only enhance safety in rail traffic, but also give planning certainty to municipalities”.

About 30 kilometres of tram rails will be restored in Szczecin over a period of 2 years. This will involve applying around 70 tons of the rail sealing compound BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV. The appropriate primer COLZUMIX®- Haftgrund will also applied – this forming a firmly adhering layer on the rail together with the compound. For Jan Budaj, owner of MBJ Plus s.c., the decisive factors in the choice of the material are not only the qualitative aspects but also the ease of application and the reliability of delivery times: “The faster and easier it is to pour a compound, the more economically we can work. What’s more, all road and rail users will be happy when we can close the construction site promptly, allowing traffic can flow again without interruption. We owe this above all to the reliable product deliveries from BIGUMA BOHEMIA”.
BIGUMA®- BAB 20 ZTV fulfils the requirements of the “Technical Terms of Delivery for Joint Fillers in Traffic Areas (TL Fug-StB)” and can be used in asphalt, concrete or paving fixings. The dga Group supplies the rail sealing compound as standard in a thin metal tin and silicone-coated carton. You can find more information about this product group here.