MC-Bauchemie MC-Ballastbond 60
The epoxy rock-glue that binds loose railway ballast and gravel into a stable, load-bearing mat — for track sections and yards where sealing the surface matters more than free drainage.
What is it?
A two-component, low-viscosity epoxy resin sprayed onto loose ballast, gravel or split-rock to glue the stones into a rigid, load-bearing, largely impervious mat.
Where is it used?
Ballast at points, crossings, curves, shunting yards and level crossings; industrial/private rail sidings; and resin-bound gravel driveways, plazas and hardstandings outside the rail world.
Why use it?
Stops loose aggregate migrating and hollowing under repeated loading, cuts dust and flying ballast, and — being the drainage-reducing grade — seals the surface where open drainage isn’t wanted.
How is it applied?
Components are machine-mixed 3:1 by mass, then spray-applied via pump and lance in a closed fan pattern from roughly 20 cm, penetrating about 10 cm deep at a guideline dose of 1-2 litres per square metre.
About MC-Bauchemie MC-Ballastbond 60
MC-Ballastbond 60 belongs to MC-Bauchemie’s injection-systems range, in the specific “ballast bonding” line alongside its sister product MC-Ballastbond 70. Both are low-viscosity, two-component epoxy resins that glue loose ballast or gravel into a coherent, load-bearing crust rather than leaving it free-running. The detail a specifier must get right is drainage: 60 is formulated to reduce the treated layer’s drainage capacity, while 70 is formulated to preserve it. That makes 60 the pick for yards, shoulders, decorative or weed-suppressed gravel and spill-contained sidings, and 70 the pick for open running track that must keep draining.
In India this is a specialist imported resin rather than a shelf item, and Space Arc quotes it with a realistic lead time and supervised first applications. The demand is real: Indian Railways, DFCCIL and metro depot/siding contractors regularly deal with ballast that pumps or migrates at points & crossings, curves and level crossings — exactly where 60’s rigid, tough-elastic bond reduces tamping frequency. The same chemistry is also gaining ground with landscape contractors for resin-bound gravel driveways and plazas on institutional campuses, where a bonded, non-migrating finish is wanted without open-drainage performance.
The technical insight
This is a plain epoxy duromer — reactive, cross-linking, thermoset — not a flexible polyurethane, and the numbers show it: a glass transition of around 30°C (EN ISO 11357-2) and a 7-day compressive strength near 30 N/mm² (EN ISO 604) give a genuinely rigid bond, while roughly 10% ultimate elongation (DIN 53455) keeps it tough enough to absorb cyclic rail loading without turning brittle. The 10-15 minute working time at 21°C is the real site constraint — it runs shorter still in Indian heat, so crews cool components, mix small batches, and re-pot before spraying rather than working straight from the mixing pot. And the name itself carries the key spec detail: “60” is the grade engineered to impair drainage, so it is the wrong choice wherever free-draining ballast performance is the actual engineering requirement.
Where it is used
- Ballast consolidation at points, crossings and switches prone to lateral or vertical creep
- Stabilising highly loaded ballast on curves and at shunting/marshalling yards
- Ballast shoulder protection during track doubling, gauge conversion and renewal works
- Sealing and stabilising ballast at level crossings and road-rail interfaces
- Bonding industrial/private railway sidings (steel, cement, port rail) under heavy axle loads
- Resin-bound gravel and split-stone surfaces for driveways, plazas and pedestrian pathways
- Dust and loose-stone (flying ballast) suppression on shoulders adjoining platforms/stations
- Weed-growth suppression on bonded gravel and ballast surfaces
Key advantages
- Low viscosity (~500 mPa·s) penetrates the ballast void structure, not just the surface stones
- Fast-reacting duromer with a 10-15 minute working time suits short rail possession windows
- ~30 N/mm² compressive and ~17.5 N/mm² tensile strength at 7 days give real load-bearing performance
- Tough-elastic cured film (~10% elongation) resists brittle failure under repeated cyclic loading
- Deliberately reduces drainage capacity — the right behaviour for yards, shoulders and sealed decorative gravel
- Pump-and-lance spray application covers large shoulder/yard areas without hand-mixing at depth
- Factory-proportioned 10 kg and 30 kg twin-pack kits cut on-site batching error
- Supplied with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), useful for sustainability documentation on infra tenders
Limitations & considerations
- Needs disciplined mixing — 3:1 by mass, 1-minute mechanical mix, re-potted into a clean container before spraying
- Application halts below 8°C substrate temperature, in rain, or on wet ballast
- Impairs drainage, so it is the wrong grade for open running-track ballast beds — MC-Ballastbond 70 is correct there
- Short working time punishes oversized batches, which start curing before they can be sprayed out
- Equipment cleans only with MC-Verdünnung EP thinner — water or water-based cleaners are explicitly ruled out
- As an imported specialist resin, it needs realistic lead-time and supervised first-application planning
Selection & best practice
Inspect the ballast or gravel first — it must be dry, clean and free of fines or separating material — and run a trial patch on any new project to confirm penetration depth and dosage. Mix mechanically at 3:1 by mass for one minute, re-pot into a clean container, and keep batches small enough to spray out inside the working time, cooling components in hot weather to buy extra minutes. Spray in a closed fan pattern from no more than about 20 cm off the surface, and stop work entirely if substrate temperature drops below 8°C, rain starts, or the surface is wet. Protect opened component containers from moisture ingress with a desiccant, and clean tools only with MC-Verdünnung EP — never water. Above all, confirm the grade before ordering: 60 for sealed/non-draining work, 70 wherever the ballast must keep draining.
Specifications
| Chemistry / system | Two-component, low-viscosity epoxy resin (duromer) |
| Mixing ratio | 3:1 by mass, 2.66:1 by volume (Component A : Component B) |
| Density | approx. 1.1 kg/dm³ (EN ISO 2811-1) |
| Viscosity | approx. 500 mPa·s (EN ISO 3219) |
| Working time (pot life) | approx. 10-15 minutes at 21°C ±2°C |
| Compressive strength (7 d) | approx. 30 N/mm² (EN ISO 604) |
| Tensile/breaking strength (7 d) | approx. 17.5 N/mm² (DIN 53455) |
| Application conditions | Substrate 8-35°C, ≥3K above dew point, ≤85% relative humidity |
| Pack size / shelf life | 10 kg and 30 kg component-pair kits; 24 months at 10-30°C, sealed and dry |
Industry use cases
Railways / metro rail
Ballast stabilisation at points & crossings and curves on depot/yard sidings, cutting tamping frequency between relaying cycles
Industrial / private sidings
Consolidating ballast shoulders under sustained heavy-axle-load traffic at steel, cement and port rail sidings
Track renewal contractors
Protecting ballast shoulders during phased track doubling and gauge-conversion works
Level crossings
Sealing and stabilising ballast at road-rail interfaces to cut loose-stone throw and water ingress
Landscape / hardscape contractors
Resin-bound gravel driveways, plazas and pathways on institutional and commercial campuses
Frequently asked questions
What’s the actual difference between MC-Ballastbond 60 and MC-Ballastbond 70?
Can it be applied on a live, in-service railway line?
How much MC-Ballastbond 60 do we need per square metre?
What equipment does a crew need to apply it correctly?
Does it work for resin-bound gravel driveways outside railways?
How should it be stored, and for how long does it stay usable?
How we position MC-Bauchemie MC-Ballastbond 60
Within MC-Bauchemie’s own range, MC-Ballastbond 60 is deliberately paired with MC-Ballastbond 70 — same chemistry family, opposite drainage behaviour — so the real specification decision on a Space Arc quote is choosing between the two rather than shopping across brands. Railway ballast-bonding resin is a narrow enough specialism that there is no genuine off-the-shelf Fosroc equivalent to name here; Fosroc’s structural epoxy injection systems address concrete crack and void repair, a related but distinct problem from consolidating loose track ballast. Space Arc positions the MC-Ballastbond 60/70 pairing as the specialist choice for ballast and bonded-gravel work, while routing any concrete crack-injection enquiries to the appropriate structural-repair resin line instead.
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