INVESTIGATION OF SERVICE AND DETECTED BUTT-WELDED RAIL JOINT FAILURES

In the period between October 1, 1965, and October 1, 1966, sixteen failures, service and detected, in butt-welded rail joints were submitted to the Association of American Railroads Research Center for a metallurgical examination. To date, the investigation has been completed on 9 of these 16 failures, in two oxyacetylene pressure butt weld: It is believed that a result of improper welding practice. Failure in an electric-flash butt weld was attributed to the presence of an electrode burn introduced during the welding process. In other electric-flash butt welds it was disclosed that the rail ends were cropped with a petrogen torch and that the time between cutting and welding ranged from a few days to several weeks. This time lapse is of concern because of the incipient cracks that may form and further develop on subsequent heating operations. A second possible cause for these failures is that the amount of rail cropped from the ends of these secondhand rails was insufficient to remove existing bolt-hole cracks that extend back into the web. In still other electric-flash butt welds, heavy segregation patterns were found.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Railway Engineering Association

  59 East Van Buren Street
  Chicago, IL  United States  60605
• Publication Date: 1967-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 372-383
• Serial:
  • AREA BULLETIN
  • Volume: 68
  • Publisher: American Railway Engineering Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cracking; Defects; Failure; Rail joints; Railroad rails; Technology; Welded rail
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Cropping; Fissures (Rails); Rail failure
• Subject Areas: Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00040425
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Bulletin 605
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 22 1976 12:00AM