An Enclosed-arc Welding Process for High Strength Rails and Welded Joint Performance

Study on Rail Welding with High-C Welding Materials (Report 2)

Abstract

This paper describes the use of high-C welding materials for enclosed-arc welding of high strength rail. Experiments have been done to improve the facility of manipulation of the high-C electrodes to find the optimum welding procedures and to find weld joint performances of high-C welds.
The experimental results are as follows :
1) It is necessary to keep the flux weight ratio to core electrode between 22 and 23%, the ratio of CaO/ CaF₂ in flux around 1.6, and carbon content in weld metal less than 0.5% so that welders can preferably manipulate electrodes to remove molten slag swiftly out of molten weld pool.
2) The welding conditions and the pass sequences specific to the high-C welding have been found so that sound welds free from solidification cracks in weld metal and liquation cracks in HAZ can be obtained.