MATE 309

Solidification Behaviour in
Flash/Butt Welded in Rail Steels

By Mehmet Serkan AKAR

 RAIL STEELS
Modern railway systems are subjected to intense
use, with fast trains and increasing axle loads. Rails
have to be more wear resistant and achieve higher
standards of straightness and flatness in order to
avoid the surface and internal defects which may
lead eventually to failure. The shape of the
manufactured rail depends to a large extent on the
uniformity of thermo mechanical processing; the
most advanced mills are computer controlled with
continuous feed-back from the product during
manufacture.
 Up until the 1970s, rails for passenger and
freight trains were regarded as relatively simple
undemanding products and the specifications
had changed very little for decades. However,
investments in railway systems, the advent of
high-speed passenger trains and the requirement
for longer life track imposed a demand for rails
of high quality, greater strength and tighter
geometric tolerances. Therefore there have been
major innovations in the past 20 years in terms of
the method of manufacture, degree of inspection
and range of products.
EVOLUTION OF SECTIONS
 Rail steel is extremely tough. As we can see from the figure,
rail steel resists breakage even after the yield point is exceeded.
In addition, rail steel has satisfactory amount of ductility and
after re-heating, can be used to complete most forming
operations.
Their average yield point is greater than 400 MPa, while actual
tensile strength normally ranges from 680 MPa to 780 MPa.
This high yield point means rail steel provides ample stiffness,
enduring heaviest demands with little deformation.
 Electrodes
(a) (c)

Position and Clamp the Parts

Flash
(b) (d)

Upset and Terminate Current

Apply Flashing Voltage
and Start Platen Motion
Typical applications:
(1) Butt welding of
matching sections.
(2) Chain links.
(3) Railway lines.
(4) Window frames.
(5) Aero-engine rings.
(6) Car wheel rims.
(7) Metal strip in rolling
mills.


 Axially Aligned Weld

Dies

Fixed Platen Cross Section After Welding

Movable Platen

Transformer
 Miter Weld

Fixed Platen Movable Platen

Cross Section After Welding

Transformer

[Reference: Welding Handbook, Volume 2, p.589, AWS]

 Ring Weld

Shunt
Current

Fixed Platen Movable Platen Cross Section After Welding

Transformer




SOLIDIFICATION
Schematic of Typical Flash Weld Cycle

Savage, Flash Welding,

Welding Journal March 1962
0 .05 .10 .15

Initial Flashing

Partial Burn-off
Stage 1 - Heat Soaking

Increased Burn-off
Stage 2 - Steady State

Excessive Burn-off
Stage 3 - Heat out
In Steady State, the Heat into the HAZ
Equals the Heat Out

Stage 3 Occurs When More Heat Flows

Out than is Flowing In
Upset in the Steady State - Stage 2 Region

Forge Temp
At Upset
Temp

Short Time After

Long Time After

Factors Which Effect Extent
of Stable Stage 2
Material Electrical & Thermal Conductivity
Platen Motion During Flashing
Initial Clamping Distance
Preheat
Material Geometry
Instantaneous
Temperature
Electrical & Thermal Conductivity

Temperature
HAZ
Dist from Instantaneous
Burnoff
Interface

High Resistance = More I2R Heating

Low Thermal Conductivity = Less Heat Out
More Rapid Heating
Longer Stage 2
Higher Temperature
Wider HAZ
 Wide HAZ Narrow HAZ

Oxides Trapped
Oxides Forced
At Interface
To Flashing
 Platen Motion
Platen Displacement
Continuous Acceleration

Linear

Parabolic

Flashing Time

Continuous Acceleration lead to Stub Out

Instantaneous
Temperature
Initial Clamping Distance

Temperature
Dist from Instantaneous
Burnoff
Interface

Closer Initial Clamping

Shorter Stage 2
More Burnoff to Establish Steady State
Steeper Temperature Gradient
Instantaneous
Temperature
Effect of Preheat

Temperature
Dist from Instantaneous
Burnoff
Interface

Beneficial Larger HAZ

Instantaneous
Temperature Thicker Material

Temperature
Dist from Instantaneous
Burnoff
Interface

Thicker Material is more of a Heat Sink

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