Case Study – Type 4 Rail Car Rust Proofing

The maintenance of high speed railway rolling stock is something that requires expert engineering know how. Wabtec of Doncaster are one such company trusted with the maintenance of East Coast Railways Type 4 Railcars. Rustbuster were consulted by Interfleet Technologies now SNC Lavilan to advise them on the best way of applying rust proofing to cavity areas between a double skinned floor. The only access would be via 20mm holes drilled into the under body.

Rustbuster proposed the use of Fe-123 rust converter followed by Rustbuster Mil-Spec cavity wax.

Tests where carried out to ensure that Fe-123 was not only capable to convert the rust within the cavities, but also its abilities to travel into the damp areas that existed with hidden seams. It was clearly shown that Rustbuster Fe-123 was able to penetrate the damp substrate and migrate through to the steel. Rustbuster Fe-123 was also subjected to Fire propagation testing and was passed on the grounds that it will not add to fire propogation or create additional smoke.

Rustbuster Mil-Spec cavity wax was also subjected to the same fire propagation testing and was duly approved for use on the refurbishment and maintenance of these type four Rail cars.

Both the Rustbuster Fe-123 and the Mil-Spec rust proofing wax where injected using a Lemmer 460 HD injection system supplied by Rustbuster Ltd

Rail car Injection Drawing

Full Interfleet Spec

Case Study – Protecting Sea Tractors

We were approached by the RNLI in Poole, Dorset when they required a system specification for a coating that could withstand immersion in salt water and being hit by sand and stones. We had no hesistation in recomending our Rustbuster EM 121 Rust Proofing Paint system.

We took delivery of a brand new Ford Ranger truck with instructions from the RNLI to have it coated in EM121 to protect it from the rigours of use as a coast guard vehicle used in sea water.

Prior to using the system, tests were made by the RNLI incuding salt water immersion and gravelometer testing for resistance to stone and chip abrasion. EM 121 passed the test and was specified for use on their tractor refurbs. The results were so succesfull that new tractors were also upgraded to EM121.

System specification: blast clean to SA 2.5 or MBX Bristle blast prior to application of two coats Rustbuster EM121.

Cast Study – Salt Contaminated Electric Fence

Nuclear power stations are positioned next to the sea for lots of good reasons. The peremiters are typically protected by electric fences, and the steel, wire and insulators are therefpre exposed in an extremely salty atmosphere. Therefore, they soon build up huge amounts of salt. Salt being the conductor it is, it unfortunately sets off the intruder alarms when it reaches a certain level and bridges the insulators.

At Rustbuster we developed a unique salt removing surfactant Rustbuster Chlor-X Salt Remover that gets right underneath the salt crystals and lifts them from the surface of the steel, wire and insulators. With a regular cleaning regime of power washing with Rustbuster Chlor-X Salt Remover at a dilution of 100:1 the problem is solved.

Rustbuster Chlor-X Salt Remover will remove salt from vehicles, trains, bridges, fences and buildings; in fact any structure where salt causes damage will benefit from regular washing down with Rustbuster Chlor-X Salt Remover. In the case of the elctric fencing, no salt means no conductivity AND reduces the likelihood of corrosion.