Why are 'Iron Rods' Erected on Both Sides of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway? What Are They For? Finally Figured It Out
Many people now going to Tibet like to drive to Tibet because driving allows us to see the scenery on both sides. Driving also doesn't affect our time to go to those places, we can go wherever we want, and drive wherever our mood takes us, and stop whenever we want. Most importantly, we can stop for a long time in front of the favorite attractions to appreciate, letting our hearts find a place to consolidate. There is also a phenomenon that we can actually pay attention to when in Tibet: on both sides of the Tibetan highway there are upright sticks of posts about two meters high. Many people don't know what these are for, and they are not beautiful or useful. So, what are these things for?
This is because many of the places on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway belong to permafrost areas. This makes the roadbed of the Tibetan highway not very stable, especially in summer and winter. One season is very hot, and one season is very cold. Both of these situations are not feasible, which will cause the foundation to shift, causing problems for vehicles.
We all know that the land in the plateau area is very sensitive. Once it's cold, it will freeze, and after freezing, the road surface will form ice spikes. This makes it particularly inconvenient to walk on it. In summer, due to the hot weather, it can even cause the road surface to subside. This is a major problem that the Qinghai-Tibet Highway has to face.
The initial solution to this problem is to add iron plates on both sides. As we all know, iron has a high thermal conductivity, and they are made of carbon steel pipes. They are a total of 7 meters long, with hollow interiors, and filled with liquid. In this way, heat can be transmitted to one side, and better defend against natural disasters from the land.
The working principle is that when it's summer, the weather keeps getting hotter, the liquid inside will generate gas. This makes heat through conduction spread into the air, and forms a natural machine, so that the permafrost won't feel particularly soft in winter, and it can make the road surface very stable. It is precisely because of these iron rods that the iron rods on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway are constantly being built up. This problem of unstable land has also been solved, allowing more people to drive by self-driving to appreciate the lives of the Tibetan people.
