In-situ Repair and Rebuilding
of Railway Track
Rail suffers many different types of
wear and damage.
The following shows some
very common examples.
Damaged
Crossing
(Metal Flow)
Close-up
Broken
Flow
Piece
fallen
out
Head
Damage
Cracks
Extreme
wear
Broken
Switch
tip
Wheelburns
Transverse
defect
Large
cracks
in
crossing
nose
The current method of dealing with
these problems is to replace the rail.
This is a costly and labour intensive
method.
It is now possible to permanently
repair these problems.
In some cases the repair methods
can actually improve the
wear characteristics of the
repaired component.
History
and
Development
Excessive
spatter
and
porosity
Excessive
porosity
Better
weld
X-ray
of
manganese
weld
Fusion
line
defect.
Manganese
weld.
Failed
repair
Manganese
Weld
samples
Crack in
weld
sample
Small
cracks
on
manganese
rail
Hardness test showing large variation
Hardness test showing large variation
Hardness test showing consistency
Hardness test showing consistency
Steel Crossing
Repair
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Close-up of
wear on wing
and small
defect
on nose
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Grinding
wing
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Close-up of
head damage
on
wing
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Head-damage
removed
from
wing
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Large defect
in
nose
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Close-up
of
nose
defect
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Nose and
wing
defects
removed
by
grinding
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
The rail
is
heated
if
required
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Rebuilding
wing
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Wing
rail
build-up
complete
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Coarse
grind
completed
on
wing
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Build-up
completed
on
nose
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Coarse
grind
completed
on
nose
rail
In-Situ repair
at Brighton
Beach
Final grinding
completed
on both
rails
After
Before
In-situ repair
Large repair
on steel
crossing
Switchblade
Repair
Switchblade
with
broken tip.
This
had been
removed
from track
as it was
too
dangerous
to
allow it
to remain
in service.
Switchblade
during
repair
Switchblade tip
during repair.
Completed repair
Switchblade
after repair.
Repaired
Switchblade
Before
After
In-situ repair
of switchblades
Rebuilt
2007
July 2013
In track for six
years
Damaged switchblade – Hunter Valley Up Main track
Switchblade after repair.
Switchblade photographed July 2013
In track for 6 years.
Swing-Nosed Crossing
Repair
Swingnose crossing with head defect on wing
Close-up of head defect
Swingnose crossing
with small head defect on nose
Swingnose crossing with large damaged area on wing
Same swingnose crossing during repair.
Repair is 18 months old.
32 tonne axle loads. 90 million tonnes annually
Same repair. Different view.
Manganese components are
generally
removed from track before rebuilding.
Fumes and dust can be easily controlled in a
workshop environment thereby protecting
workers form the harmful effects of
manganese.
Bolts are
cut and
steel rails
separated
from
manganese
insert
Manganese
insert is
lifted out
Interior of crossing
cleaned of debris and glue
New
insert
being
lifted in
Crossing is re-bolted
Completed
Swap takes between
one and two hours
Rebuilt
manganese
inserts
ready
for
delivery
On
manganese
rail,
very large
defects
can be
repaired.
Here, a
large
crack is
removed,
ready
for
welding
Hedkote®
can be used as an
alternative
to explosive hardening
Casting
defects
in
crossing
nose.
Cannot
be
removed
using
Explosive
Hardening
Casting
defects
Brand new insert as received from ARTC
Transition areas ground out and crack tested
prior to hardfacing
Hardfacing complete.
Coarse grinding and final profiling has not
been completed yet.
Photo taken after
28 months.
Toe wear.
Nose is in very
good condition.
Wing has small
notch missing.
Total tonnage
approximately
254MGT
Condition of the
manganese
insert as it was
received for
rebuild.
Condition
of the
manganese
insert as it
was
received for
rebuild.
Applying Hedkote to a brand new insert has greatly
improved the performance of the component.
Normal service life 9-12 months.
This was extended to 31 months by hardfacing.
It can now be removed and hardfaced/rebuilt again.
It is possible to rebuild inserts up to four times
giving a huge extension in service life
and performance.
RBM
damage
RBM
damage
Extreme
repair on
manganese
crossing
Example 9
Recycling
Recycling
Crossings that have been
removed due to
wear or damage,
should not be scrapped.
Again, service life is the same
as a new crossing.
They can be recycled and returned to service
as new crossings.
Switch-
blades
and
manganese
monoblocks
ready
for
recycling
Steel
and
manganese
crossings
during
recycling
Dismantled
RBMs
ready
for
recycling
Rebuilt
insert
ready
for
delivery
Monoblock
after
painting
and
ready
for
delivery
Rebuilt
Monoblock
before
painting
Severe wear on steel crossing
Before
After
Steel
Crossing
Rebuilt
crossings
have the
same
service
life as
new
crossings.
After
Wheelburn and Squat
Repairs
Before
After
final
profiling,
the defect
has been
completely
removed.
After
The end result is rail back to its original condition.
CWR remains continuous.
No aluminothermic welds.
Repaired area has the same hardness as the original rail.
No possibility of “dips”
No cutting of rail.
No lifting equipment required.
10-15 per day.
80% cost saving over traditional closures
Guaranteed for three years against defects.
Permanent removal of defect.
Approved for Heavy Haul
Before After
Record Keeping
and
Documentation
Casting defects
which require
grinding to the
bottom of the
flangeway in order
to completely
remove.
ID numbers
stamped
here for
steel
and
here for
manganese
inserts
Hardface wins
WTIA
Fabricator of the Year
for
2006
Type Approval
for
the
Hedkote®
Process
13/09/2010
Southern Cross
Station
Melbourne
Conclusions
Possible to permanently refurbish damaged/worn rail
Improve safety
Extremely cost effective
Recycle old/worn components
Proven/Certified in Heavy Haul applications.
“Green” process
What does all this mean
for the rail operator?
Hardface Technologys
6/28 Coombes Drive, Penrith, NSW 2750 Australia
PO Box 635, Penrith, NSW 2751 Australia
Tel. +61 2 4721 4088 Fax. +61 2 4732 4988 Mob. +61 4 13 64 0526
E-mail [email protected]
www.hardface.com.au
Hedkote®
Saving Rail
The Permanent Way
Top Related