RAIL CROPPING BY THE WET ABRASIVE WHEEL METHOD AT THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD RAIL WELDING PLANT

Rail cropping by the wet abrasive wheel method at the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad Rail Welding plant is discussed. Installation of a production dual-head wet abrasive wheel rail cropping machine is made. To record the new method of preparing the surfaces of the rails for butt welding by the oxyacetylene pressure process, rolling-load, slow-bend and drop tests are made. Test results indicate that butt-welded rail joints produced with weld surfaces representing both the smooth-and-clean condition and the smooth-and-smudged condition performed excellently under the rolling-load tests. Best results under the slow-bend test is obtained from a rail joint with a smudged weld surface, although this type of welding surface is not recommended. It is concluded that the wet abrasive steel cutting method for rail produces the square rail ends and clean welding surfaces necessary for the oxyacetylene pressure butt-welding process.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Railway Engineering Association

  59 East Van Buren Street
  Chicago, IL  United States  60605
• Publication Date: 1965-2

Media Info

• Features: Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 471-478
• Serial:
  • AREA BULLETIN
  • Volume: 66 N
  • Issue Number: 591
  • Publisher: American Railway Engineering Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bend tests; Drop tests; Load tests; Maintenance of way; Railroad rails; Welding
• Old TRIS Terms: Cropping; Rail drop tests; Rail welding; Slow bend tests; Wet abrasive wheel cropping
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00052293
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Association of American Railroads
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proceeding
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 1974 12:00AM