Since 2004, railway sleepers made of FFU synthetic wood have been in use in Europe on railway bridges with open load-bearing structures made of steel as well as under points and crossings. In September 2008, Munich's University of Technology wrote the final report on a research project into such sleepers, drawing positive conclusions. The letters "FFU" stand for "fibre-reinforced foamed urethane", the material used in Japan to develop a synthetic wood. Back in 1978, a company called Sekisui was awarded several prizes in Japan for this technological development, which initially went under the name of "Eslon Neo Lumber FFU". FFU synthetic wood is a material that has the same material properties as natural timber and can be handled and processed as easily as it can. The synthetic material has virtually the same specific mass as the natural one, yet a very considerably longer service life than the latter, and its weathering properties are also superior.
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