News Coatings Technologies
Composite heat-reflective coatings improve safety and durability of ballastless railway tracks
A novel composite titanium oxide-based heat-reflective coating demonstrates exceptional thermal insulation, UV resistance, and durability under high temperatures, enhancing the safety and lifespan of ballastless railway tracks.
The aging performance of composite heat-reflective coatings for ballastless railway tracks under high temperatures and UV radiation has been investigated through experimental and numerical methods. Researchers Rui Su, Qian Su, Aibo Luo, and Yanfei Pei conducted laboratory tests and molecular dynamics simulations to assess thermal reflectivity, durability, and safety enhancements provided by these coatings.
The composite heat-reflective coating, based on titanium oxide and silicon dioxide, showed remarkable thermal insulation efficiency, with stable infrared reflectance even under prolonged UV radiation. Laboratory tests demonstrated minimal degradation in adhesion strength—less than 1/144 MPa per hour—and hydrophobic properties that prevent contamination, maintaining surface cleanliness on railway track slabs.
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Enhanced durability and operational safety
Numerical simulations revealed that rising ambient temperatures accelerate molecular motion, which can reduce coating durability. The coating performed optimally at 45 °C, maintaining its structural integrity and thermal efficiency. Under extreme high-temperature conditions, coatings S3 and S4 demonstrated significant safety improvements, reducing internal temperature differentials in track slabs by 30–50 %, limiting slab deformation by over 60 %, and lowering wheel load alleviation rates by 35–40 %.
These results highlight the potential of composite heat-reflective coatings to enhance the long-term durability and safety of high-speed railway systems, even under challenging environmental conditions.
Source: Su, R., Su, Q., Luo, A., & Pei, Y., Experimental and numerical investigation on the aging performance of the composite heat-reflective coating for ballastless track under high temperature and radiation. Prog. Org. Coat. 2025, 109671.
