L.B. Foster launches new low temperature traction enhancer, Alleviate LT

L.B. Foster’s traction gel applicator (TGA) applies ALLEVIATE traction enhancing material directly to the top of running rails at locations where there is potential for low adhesion.

L.B. Foster

L.B. Foster announced the commercial launch of a Low Temperature (LT) version of their proven ALLEVIATE traction enhancer product for top-of-rail use.

Alleviate LT has the same high-performance traction enhancing characteristics as Alleviate but with a lower freezing point of 3°F (-16°C).

The Alleviate family is designed to be used in all locations where low adhesion could be an issue, avoiding operational and safety issues such as station overruns, stalled trains on ascending grades, or speed restrictions imposed during autumn leaf fall. In one such instance, trains were notoriously falling behind schedule in an area of the Northeast US with steep ascending grades. Following the application of Alleviate traction enhancer from an L.B. Foster Traction Gel Applicator (TGA) system, the trains began to run on time.

Alleviate was designed by L.B. Foster’s Friction Management Consumable Technology Team, a group of Ph.D. chemists that specializes in the design and development of materials specifically to help improve conditions at the wheel/rail interface. Unlike other sandite products, Alleviate is a viscous water-based gel that is applied directly on to the rail head, has minimal waste, and is proven not to interfere with track signaling. It achieves enhanced friction levels by a combination of abrasive action to weaken and remove hardened leaf layers and placement of sand particles directly on the rail head to provide grip between the wheel and rail.