The life of an ancient man began with the objects that surrounded him. With a competent location without the use of a binder component, it was possible to build walls, bridge paths, make stoves and other equipment. A huge number, choice, ease of movement allow the use of stones in our days. A simple crushing process brings the raw material to the ideal.
Eternal material
Granite, quartzite, dolomite, sandstone - all this is in demand in the industry and construction of our days. Low cost, durability, environmental safety, chemical neutrality allows you to achieve a mass of technical problems. It is easy to build a small house out of stone; it is necessary for arranging the foundation. If there is a shortage of bricks, you can find suitable stone options in size. This is an indispensable component of reinforced concrete structures. Stones give slabs and blocks an additional strength; they are an integral part of many buildings. The construction of motorways and roads is not complete without rubble and gravel.
Interesting fact: On some trains in Peru, passengers are offered an oxygen cushion - it will make breathing easier when traveling high in the mountains.
Why do we need stones on the railway?
If sleepers with rails are laid on the ground or on an asphalt platform, then the movement of multi-ton trains along them will end in the first minutes. A rigid base is needed to ensure a clear fixation of the structure.There is a special GOST that regulates the quality of crushed stone for the arrangement of the railway track.
Not only a dense, three-layer pillow is guaranteed, but also the simplicity of its creation. Cases when heavy rain washed off the embankment are a rarity. The presence of space between individual stones allows water to flow freely without disturbing the general geometry of the road.
The material best of all provides density of a pillow and uniformity of pressure distribution. Natural raw materials perfectly dampens vibration from a locomotive, softens the impact of wheels on rails. The optimal size of the stone is from 30 to 60 millimeters. The climatic zone and weather disasters are not important. An additional advantage - no one will steal stones. These are not steel rails and contact wires. Stealing several buckets will not break anything. And also the gravel does not allow grass, other greens to grow.
Interesting fact: In Australia, a railway was built, which for five hundred kilometers has no turns.
It makes no sense to create a more expensive and powerful foundation - it is irrational. Only in big cities, at beautiful stations, stones are a little hidden with the help of decorative material. The stone does not require care and maintenance. He will not change his properties in fifty years. The only problem is the change in its color: the gravel usually turns black.
Causes of darkening stones on the railway
As a child, we noticed - after a trip on the train you need to wash yourself well. A large amount of black dirt, similar to soot, is always collected in the nose.The reason is simple and commonplace: until now, in many formulations, coal and firewood are used to make boiling water. And the bulk of the resulting waste and soot gets on the canvas.
Interesting fact: the longest train was linked in South Africa: it included 660 cars, the length was 7 km.
The second reason is more weighty: any diesel locomotive and carriage are plentiful grease, the use of diesel fuel and other fuel and lubricants. All this partially falls under the wheels, dirtying the stones. It is customary to lubricate the bolts and nuts that secure the rail to the railroad tie. And goods transported in open wagons are often the cause of color changes. All these factors change crushed stone and gravel.
The stone will continue to be accessible, demanded material. And the design of the railway track will not undergo changes. The answer to the question about blackening gravel is simple - it is a consequence of all the factors that nature and technological progress carry. Any student and observant person will support this point of view!
