Flash Butt Welding (In North America Flash Butt Welding of crane rail is available.)
Field Butt Welding
Technology:
The flash butt welding process entails bringing the rail ends together and generating an arc which heats the metal. Once the metal reaches the appropriate temperature the rail ends are forged together using hydraulic pressure and the excess upset material at the weld interface is sheared away to produce a near perfect rail profile with minimal secondary profile grinding required. The entire process is automated with the rail ends encapsulated and manipulated by a portable weld head
Equipment:
The support equipment which provides power and control to the flash butt weld head is truck-mounted and connects to the weld head with umbilical cables and hoses. The support vehicle must be able to get close to the welded site. For overhead welding at least two mobile cranes are required to support the welding operations. One to support the weld head and the second to lift and place the rails.
Implementation:
The process lends itself to very high weld production rates but only if the supporting labor force is well organized to take full advantage of the equipment capabilities. The process is most productive when the rail is fed to the weld head at a fixed location, welded then pulled down the runway on rollers. Gantrex can offer organization and management of the flash butt welding process to maximum your productivity