20 April 2012
At YENAKIIEVE IRON AND STEEL WORKS, METINVEST GROUP a high-end technology of railway bed welding has been developed. Safety, efficiency, tracks and trains life extension are the string of advantages of this implementation, aimed at enterprise railway facilities upgrading.
Aluminothermic welding is meant for railway bed joints elimination, which are the main headache of Railway Transport Administration (RTA). Railway joints looseness and unevenness can lead to the railway equipment derailing resulting in production processes failures and rolling equipment damages. New welding technology in turn enables to make continuous welded rails (without joints) for railway equipment to move at a perfectly smooth surface. It gives a possibility to increase the train speed, while maintaining personnel safety.
Currently 226 joints at several railroad hauls of YENAKIIEVE IRON AND STEEL WORKS have been welded. Testing of a new welding at these sections exceeded all expectations.
«We have already seen at practice that aluminothermic welding is mobile, time- and labour-saving technology,- pointed out Aleksandr Zabrodin, Transport Director of PJSC YENAKIIEVE STEEL. — Minimum number of personnel, using small-size movable equipment set, can weld rails of any structure, quality and working life even in the hard-to-reach-places. Moreover the whole process (preparation, welding and joint processing) takes no more than 40-50 minutes»
It should be noted that YENAKIIEVE STEEL is the only enterprise in the country where railway system upgrading is implemented in such a way. In the near future the RTA of YENAKIIEVE STEEL is going to buy its own welding equipment and feedstock for it as well. It gives the possibility for RTA personnel to revamp railways lines without contractors' engagement.