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High Weld Deposition for Fast Rail Repairs |
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Fast and Efficient Rail Repairs
With Railway rail repairs speed of deposition, defect-free metal and portability are primary considerations. With the vast majority of rail repairs done in the field a fast and efficient process is vital. Corewire’s rail repair products have been developed in conjunction with rail authorities both in the UK and continental Europe.
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Historically, the MMA (Manual Metal Arc, also known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding – SMAW) process has been widely used to maintain and repair rails. Being one of the simpler, more versatile and portable methods of welding ferrous base materials it appeared to fulfil all requirements for track repair. However, demanding timetables mean that the majority of rail repairs have to be carried out between the passages of trains. Understandably, the time factor is of major importance; therefore a solution that could offer faster high deposition rates but still be as simple and flexible as MMA was sought.
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High Deposition Rate Welding Wires
Corewire have developed two products BS11B and MN33 that combine the high deposition rates intrinsic to cored wires, the improved economics that comes with fewer weld passes, fewer arc restarts and therefore fewer weld defects, with a self shielding facility for ease of use in remote locations. BS11B was developed for use on carbon manganese and plain rails grades, and MN33 materials are suitable for austenitic manganese rails.
Different areas of a rail network are vulnerable to different types of defects and failures. For example, at crossings or switches the coach wheel will be briefly unsupported as it crosses to the new rail. The resulting impacts to the nose of the crossing can be large and frequent, leading to wear of the railhead and an increase in contact angles. Alternatively, plain rails are more likely to see in-service defects such as squats and wheel burns resulting from loss of friction between the wheel and rail. Additionally, inclusions caught in the rail at the time of manufacture can wear preferentially to the rest of the rail, requiring a local repair.
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