Work

The technological process of joining the rails in the plate includes a number of operations, in particular, preliminary preparation of welded edges, fusion butt welding and post-welding mechanical treatment. Requirements for these operations are clearly specified in the technical conditions for rails welding TU U 24.1-40075815-002: 2016 (for stationary and mobile welding machines). However, the increase's in the load on railways and in transport speeds led to a significant increase in regulatory requirements for the rail track, primarily on the need to use high-strength heat-strengthened rails, welding of which in standard modes can not ensure stable quality of joints. Therefore, there is a need to work out rigid heating regimes with a high temperature field gradient, which will intensify the melting process and concentrate deformations in the contact layers during sediment, resulting in improved conditions for the formation of welds in the solid phase. Welding in such modes requires more careful preparation of rail joints. In addition, the increase in the durability of the rails is achieved by post-welding mechanical treatment of the joint area, the technological scheme of which also has more stringent requirements. Therefore, the main task of the study is to substantiate and develop recommendations for changes in the technological process of rail plates manufacturing and in regulatory documentation for butt welding of rails and post-welding mechanical treatment of the joint area in the field conditions. Developed modes and parameters for butt welding of high-strength rails using improved technology and technological scheme for post-welding mechanical treatment of joints can be used in the field of railway-transport infrastructure of Ukraine for manufacturing of rail plates in stationary and field conditions.