Welcome to Cryogrip
Research Engineers at The University of Sheffield have worked in collaboration with Cryo Technologies Ltd to develop a novel technique for rail-head cleaning.
It has been demonstrated to work with a variety of low adhesion causes including leaf derived ‘black layer’, rust (iron oxides) along with grease, diesel fuel and moisture.
The technique uses inert waste gases from industrial processes such as electricity production and leaves no residue on the railhead, leaving it clean and dry for maximum grip.
Leaves on the Line
Millions of leaves fall onto rail tracks every year. The weight of trains as they pass over the leaves compacts them to form a smooth slippery Teflon like layer, stuck to the track. This layer reduces the grip between the train wheels and track – much like black ice on the roads, making it difficult for trains to accelerate and brake safely. Damp conditions, such as light rain or dew further add to the problem.
The stopping distance of a train is mainly determined by the friction between the wheel and the rail (adhesion), therefore the presence of a slippery contaminant results in increased stopping distances.
To accommodate this, the rail industry implements speed limits in the autumn season to ensure that trains can safely stop, this however results in a reduction of services and the implementation of the “Autumn timetable”
Currently Network Rail operate a fleet of 61 specialist High Pressure Water Jetting trains with jets so powerful they can cut through steel, this extreme pressure requires 130 million litres (or 52 Olympic swimming pools) of water annually. This alone is not sufficient as 80 crews also conduct manual treatment in localised areas.
Our Solution
See our equipment under trial mounted on a passenger vehicle below, enabled by the Innovate UK SBRI First Of A Kind funding programme
Contact Us
Our modular scalable systems have been fitted to a range of railway vehicles; Road Rail Vehicles, Rail Head Treatment Trains, and Passenger vehicles.
Contact victoria@cryogrip.co.uk to find out more.