· web viewthermite welding of rails background alumino-thermite welding is the most common method...
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Thermite welding of rails
BackgroundAlumino-thermite welding is the most common method used to weld rails in the field. Two rails are joined through a casting process where the pieces are placed end to end in a mould made of sand, and molten metal is poured into the mould. When the metal solidifies, the rails are joined. This method is inexpensive and also quick. One drawback is that the solidified metal is softer than the rails, which eventually will create an uneven upper rails surface at the weld, which in turn will result in additional impact loads when trains pass the rail weld. The left figure shows a FE model of a rail and the mould, the right figure shows a completed rail weld
ObjectivesStudy a new thermite welding process, which is believed to give the weld better properties.
Calculate the temperature field in the rails during the casting process, starting with the preheating of the sand mould.
A thermal model of the process exists, but the casting phase needs to be modelled in more detail by calibrating temperatures in the rail from experiments by the manufacturer.
Create a mechanical model of the welding process and calculate the stress and strain fields based on the calculated temperature fields.
SignificanceThe results will contribute to an ongoing EU-project WRIST where two new innovative processes for rail welding are studied.
ContactJim Brouzoulis ([email protected]) Division of Material and Computational Mechanics