Welding with improved reliability

J. Keichel, J. Yang & D. Liebenthal

Elektro-Thermit GmbH & Co. KG, Halle (Saale), Germany
P. Radmann
Thermit Australia Pty Ltd, Kariong NSW, Australia
H. Smith
Thermit Welding Ltd, Derby, GB

ABSTRACT: For axle loads greater than ~30 tonnes, i.e. typical of Heavy Haul applications, experience sug-
gests a significant increase in failure rate of alumino-thermic welds. Besides the external system influences
of track infrastructure and rolling stock traffic, two other key factors responsible are welder error and the met-
allurgical nature of alumino-thermic welds. Weld execution is often by necessity done under severe time/
pressure constraints and unfavourable ambient conditions. Meanwhile, the as-cast microstructure is an una-
voidable feature of the process and provides the potential for re-development of the traditionally deployed al-
loy compositions. An automated preheating system requiring no external oxygen source serves to reduce the
welder’s influence on weld quality and also lightens the physical burden on the welder. Relieving the welder
from the task of continuously monitoring the preheating parameters increases not only the overall occupation-
al safety but also the reliability of the weld itself. The creation of a new Thermit® alloy for specific applica-
tion in high strength pearlitic rail grades tackles the increased sensitivity to weld imperfections associated
with the necessary higher weld strength, primarily by way of Thermit® steels having improved ductility. It is
anticipated that both innovations in combination will serve to enhance the service performance of Thermit®
welds.

1 INTRODUCTION serve to increase the difficulty in creating an alumi-

Alumino-thermic welds are used in railway net-
works worldwide with the resulting continuously
welded rail (CWR) facilitating the ever-increasing
demands on many modern railway systems: Specifi-
cally, CWR provides greatly enhanced passenger
comfort and allows for significantly higher speeds
and/or axle loads and also higher traffic densities. In
turn, however, such attributes have led to an in-
creased burden on the rails and welds themselves in
terms of different and invariably higher stresses
leading to more severe degradation [1].
Rails and welds can suffer under these increasing-
ly arduous track conditions resulting in a variety of
failure types depending on the local track conditions,
type of traffic and the choice of material used for the
wheels, rails and welds, namely steel. In spite of
their same generic origin, a variety of steel types are
employed having properties tailored to suit the spe-
cific demands of the pertinent duty conditions [2-4].
Worth noting also is that while rails are produced
in huge sophisticated steel plants under optimally
controlled and stable production conditions, alumi-
no-thermic welds are executed track-side on an indi-
vidual basis under a plethora of often unfavourable
logistic and ambient conditions. Such circumstances
no-thermic weld having an integrity and quality that
closely matches that of the adjacent parent rail, the
task compounded further by the need to generate the
required quality by a largely manual method in what
is essentially a small crucible.
Finally, while rails have a desirable wrought
(rolled) microstructure due to the nature by which
they are produced, i.e. a hot rolling process, the alu-
mino-thermic weld has a cast structure which, by its
very nature, is beset with a number of inherent me-
chanical disadvantages compared to that of the rail
steel.
In spite of these potential deficiencies, for axle
loads of up to 30 tonnes, alumino-thermic welds can,
under good track conditions and with carefully man-
aged track maintenance practices, last the lifetime of
the rail and provide extremely low failure rates. But,
as with rails, alumino-thermic welds are by no
means perfect and can suffer from premature, or
sometimes even fatal, internal failures or undergo
surface-initiated degradation leading also to a signif-
icant reduction in life.
It is important also to note the inherent ‘weak-
ness’ associated with cast structures, attributable
largely to their coarse nature and generally poor in-
ternal integrity, in turn a consequence of porosity,
localised segregation etc. For this reason, and in
comparison with rolled rail, alumino-thermic welds
are more prone to internal and external failures, a
situation compounded by their relatively simple and
rapid manufacture, variable and often unfavourable
welding and ambient conditions and finally the hu-
man influence in terms of their execution [5, 6].
Means by which these disadvantages in material
properties and human factors during execution can
be accommodated, and in turn the lifetime of the
welds improved (of statistical significance), is ex-
plained by way of the following two innovations:
Firstly, an innovative and automated preheating
process to address the current and most commonly
used preheating operation which is widely regarded
as perhaps the most operator-sensitive part of the
welding process and secondly, a new Thermit por-
tion type, primarily for premium rail grades, provid-
ing a new Thermit steel alloy having appreciably
better mechanical properties than those of existing
portion chemistries.
2 INNOVATIONS IN THERMIT WELDING
PROCESS
2.1 Preheating Operation
The preheating of a Thermit weld prior to the actual
casting and fusion of the rails ends is an important
preparation for the weld and is done in a variety of
different ways. By far the most widespread preheat-
ing method is the oxygen-propane burner variant
which gives not only the highest reliability but also
sufficient power to realise desirable short preheating
times. This method is employed across a range of
alumino-thermic welding processes with different
oxygen and propane gas pressure combinations and
accompanying preheating times from two to as long
as eight minutes.
The prepared weld set up, with both aligned rail
ends covered by the moulds and luted with paste or
sand against the rail steel, is heated to temperatures
of the order of 1000°C during which the moulds and
sand are dried. This operation in itself is important
and is essentially a time-dependant process allowing
the water to evaporate and subsequently be driven
out of the moulds and luting material. Thus the min-
imum of two minutes preheating time is difficult to
reduce further without introducing the potential risk
for weld failures: Such failures could be a multitude
of porosity types arising from residual moisture in
the system.
The final precise temperature reached in the rail
ends is controlled by the duration of the preheating
operation and the power of the oxygen/propane
flame. In principle, the final temperature attained,
though important, is less so than the amount of heat
accumulated in the moulds and rail ends.
The criticality of this heat mass, in combination
with the heat generated by the strongly exothermic
nature of the reaction to form the liquid Thermit
steel cast between the rail ends, is that it determines
the so-called fusion width. In turn, the extent of
steel melted from each rail end, in effect represent-
ing the fusion width, provides essentially an indica-
tion as to the robustness of the welding process it-
self.
Broadly speaking, the quantity of heat generated
during the execution of any alumino-thermic weld
remains approximately the same. Based on this as-
sumption, implementation of a longer preheat and a
softer burner flame by using lower oxygen and pro-
pane pressures, allows the use of a smaller Thermit
portion to best suit the specific welding process be-
ing employed and vice versa.
It goes without saying that with all process vari-
ants, the preheating operation is very important and
has to be executed correctly, the latter commanding
the full attention of a well-trained and experienced
welder to control the gas pressures to the prescribed
levels, adjust the flame to a neutral flame type,
maintain a precise burner alignment and finally en-
sure the correct preheating duration.
There is a myriad of possible weld failures which
can have their origin as a result of disregarding any
one of these aspects of the preheating operation
ranging from a lack of fusion by inadequate heating
to mould breakdown leading to poor weld collar sur-
faces and/or sand inclusions in the weld: The ensu-
ing consequence of which will be a statistical in-
crease in the number of weld rejections or, as a
worse-case scenario, weld breaks.
Determining the exact root cause of any weld
break is a challenge and in many instances, it is not
only the consequence of poor execution of a weld
but a combination of factors. For this reason, an
evaluation of alumino-thermic weld failures/breaks
often necessitates a statistical approach to examine
historic trends as to the possible causes of failure.
In addition to the implied control and monitoring
tasks that the welder has to deal with are the inherent
technical and safety issues associated with the han-
dling of fuel gases. Compounding the already oner-
ous situation further is the heavy weight of the oxy-
gen and propane bottles providing a physical burden
to the welders.
In summary, even in the hands of the most com-
petent of welders, the preheating procedure is prob-
ably the single task which introduces the greatest
risk of failures and certainly, of the many individual
steps that make up the alumino-thermic welding
process, that most prone to human error.
Step forward the Smart Weld Jet (SWJ) device
(Figure 1) which aims to address many of the afore-
described deficiencies associated with the existing
and most widely deployed oxy-fuel preheating sys-
tem for the alumino-thermic welding of rail.
 heating of the refractory mould material which guar-
antees a high surface quality weld collar as the
moulds are not subjected to the localised and ex-
treme high oxy-propane flame temperatures which
can be exacerbated further by possible mis-
alignment of the standard preheat burners.
Due to the significantly lower flame temperature
of the SWJ of ~2000°C, compared with typically
2800°C for the oxy-propane flame, but an improved
heat transfer into the rail ends compared to that of
the conventional oxy-propane process, the above
mentioned positive benefits can be achieved by
maintaining the same or slightly longer preheating
times depending on the welding process and rail pro-
file (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Smart Weld Jet in track controlled by smart device

In principle, the SWJ is an automated preheating

device which requires only propane as a fuel gas but
which uses a strong air blower to produce a con-
trolled and improved combustion without the need
for compressed artificial oxygen.
Dispensing with the need for oxygen bottles of-
fers an immediate reduction in costs associated with
the consumption of compressed artificial oxygen,
which in themselves are not inconsiderable, and fur-
thermore reduces the transportation and logistics ex-
penditures.
The use of the SWJ device makes the deployment
of small propane gas bottles possible and saves fur-
ther weight which prevents potential overloading of
the welding trucks and in turn reduced handling of
heavy cylinders by the welders. The SWJ device
weighs only 23 kg which is merely one third the
weight of one full oxygen cylinder.
Crucially, the increase in occupational safety as-
sociated with reduced handling of technical gases
should not be underestimated. By simplifying the
whole handling arrangements, and further because Figure 2: Smart Weld Jet preheating curve compared to
standard oxygen propane preheating curve for SkV and
SWJ is self-adjusting and controls the flame 60E1 profile
throughout the duration of the preheating process,
the welder is released from these tasks and is thereby
largely excluded as a potential source of weld fail- 2.2 Guided and Documented Weld
ures. In addition to the advantages offered by the SWJ de-
Other advantages of note associated with the SWJ scribed above, the device is also equipped with a
device is that ignition and termination is accom- Bluetooth interface. Such an interface allows data
plished automatically which thereby obviates the po- for each preheat (weld) to be submitted to the Gold-
tential dangers associated with handling of a conven- schmidt Smart Weld App (https://play.google.com
tional burner having an open flame. There are a /store/apps/details?id=com.goldschmidt_thermit.gol
number of pre-set programmes within the SWJ de- dschmidtdigital) which can be used on a Smart
vice from which the welder chooses to achieve the hand-held device. The App serves to guide the weld-
correct welding parameters depending on the rail er through the whole welding operation and in this
profile being welded [7, 8]. way is effective in excluding possible confusion re-
The uniform distribution of heating and the sig- garding the configuration of moulds and the selec-
nificantly lower flame temperature are characteris- tion of portion types, for example, by way of a pre-
tics of the SWJ device and create a more gentle pre- set of possible configurations based on the scanned
portion bar code which is paired to a database pre-
sent on the App.
Furthermore the whole weld documentation is
provided together with the GPS-based location of
the weld. Importantly, this allows full traceability of
the welding operations when welds are executed in
combination with the SWJ and the Smart Weld App.
The reduced need for manual intervention by the
welder, including adjustments and monitoring of the
preheating flame and gas pressures, in combination
with the associated reduction in equipment weight
decreases the failure rate and thus offers real poten-
tial for a significant enhancement in weld perfor-
mance. Further, laboratory tests are underway to
confirm these perceived attributes actually to be the
case, with accompanying testing to demonstrate
more uniform mechanical properties.
2.3 An Improved Thermit Steel Grade
A second approach to improve the reliability of alu-
mino-thermic welds, and one specifically applicable
to high strength pearlitic, Premium Grade rail steels,
may be regarded as an increased ‘forgive-ability’ of
the Thermit steel itself.
As has been outlined previously, and in common
with all welds, the alumino-thermic weld is essen-
tially a cast entity. Executed with relatively low ex-
penditure, and in spite of advanced design systems,
such cast structures have unavoidably poorer integri-
ty than rolled/machined structures with the ensuing
disadvantages, but nevertheless in many cases pro-
vide an extremely favourable cost/benefit ratio. This
is indeed the case, and particularly appropriate, for
Thermit welds.
Nevertheless, and in recognition of these defi-
ciencies, the Goldschmidt Thermits’ Centre of Com-
petence at Elektro-Thermit GmbH are committed to
a long-term development programme which has
sought to improve the Thermit steel quality with re-
spect to better coping with relatively poor weld col-
lar surfaces and the overall low integrity of the
Thermit steel itself, generated in a small single use
crucible compared to commercially-produced steel
refined in modern large-scale (300 t) steel plants.
It is accepted that there is little scope per se for
improving the cast structure although investigations
at Elektro-Thermit GmbH have previously investi-
gated possible refinement of the cast microstructure
via a ‘seeding’ approach involving Ti additions.
Nevertheless, with an alternative alloying concept,
the ductility of the weld could be improved for high
strength pearlitic rail steel grades. It is believed that
such a focus would offer considerable benefits as
premium grade rails are already, and will become
even more, the first choice for heavy haul applica-
tions in which the loss of rail profile through wear is
the most prevalent degradation mechanism. Fur-
thermore, it is also anticipated that many of the
mixed traffic routes in European networks suffering
from rolling contact fatigue, wear and corrugation
would also benefit from the introduction of this al-
ternative alloying concept.
The detailed mechanisms by which cracks initiate
within alumino-thermic welds are complex. How-
ever, it is generally accepted that a new alloying
concept that serves to improve the capability of the
steel to accommodate the stress peaks around the
afore-mentioned internal impurities in the weld met-
al and/or the relatively rough surfaces of the weld
collar which act as stress-raisers, will be beneficial
in terms of the overall lifespan of the welded joint in
track.
Figure 3 shows a performance comparison of
standard alumino-thermic welds executed with
standard portions appropriate for the steel grade and
the new so called ‘Thermit PLUS’ portions, and
shows clearly the impressive performance enhance-
ment of the new ‘Thermit PLUS’ portions. In slow
bend tests the measured deflections were increased
by as much as 30% for Grade R400HT (a heat treat-
ed hyper-eutectoid premium rail from voestalpine
Schienen) [9, 10].
Figure 3: Break load vs deflection diagram for Thermit welds
in R400HT and R350HT rail grades with standard Thermit
steel and Thermit PLUS (dashed line)
Track tests in Germany, Switzerland and Austria
have shown that Thermit PLUS welds have compa-
rable wear and rolling contact fatigue resistance to
that of the parent rail. Laboratory testing has
demonstrated an increase in fatigue strength of
Thermit PLUS welds compared with Standard
Thermit steel in high strength pearlitic premium
grade rails [11, 12].
Another track test in Lithuania has indicated that
Thermit PLUS welds have a significantly lower sus-
ceptibility to the formation of surface-initiated weld
fractures at the collar/rail transition in the web in sit-
uations where the track infrastructure conditions and
the quality of the rolling stock wheels are less fa-
vourable, and furthermore in instances where the
continuously welded track exhibits significant stress
variations from summer to winter.
 The above observed behaviour, in addition to
similar observations in high strength grooved rail
applications, has led to the hypothesis that Thermit
PLUS welds are characterised by reduced longitudi-
nal tensile stresses, and correspondingly significant-
ly enhanced compressive stresses, that are better
able to withstand generally unfavourable track con-
ditions and specifically those subject to aggressive
impact loading that may be caused by wheel flats on
poorly maintained rolling stock. In this respect, in
Lithuania it has been possible to reduce the inci-
dence of stress and impact-induced weld fractures on
one specific track from typically four to zero per
year [13].
These test results demonstrate that Thermit PLUS
welds are characterised by a noticeable improvement
in static and dynamic properties that will have a sig-
nificantly positive benefit on the longevity of Ther-
mit welds, especially those in heavy haul track net-
works.
The Thermit PLUS portions employing the new
alloying concept can potentially be deployed for
premium rail grades from R350(L)HT and harder,
reflecting the fact that the Thermit PLUS weld metal
hardness can be easily controlled in the range 280 -
420 HB.
3 COMBINED BENEFIT OF THERMIT PLUS
AND SMART WELD JET
It is anticipated that the higher accuracy and repro-
ducibility of the automated SWJ/Smart Weld App
system in combination with the enhanced Thermit
steel quality of the Thermit PLUS portions will im-
prove further the weld failure statistics. Additional-
ly, the Smart Weld App in itself is increasing the ef-
fectiveness of the alumino-thermic welding
operation via improved control, repeatability and
more favourable preheat characteristics, and not
least owing to improved and more traceable docu-
mentation which is an ever-growing demand and
provides real and tangible added value for the weld-
ing contractor and end-user alike.
Additional advantages of SWJ are a consequence
of the reduced weight as oxygen cylinders are no
longer needed for the preheating operation. This
primarily reduces the work load for the welder but
also releases additional storage capacity on the
track-side trucks. The nett result is an improvement
in efficiency and enhanced cost savings in the rail
welding business leading ultimately to increased
availability of the track network.
4 CONCLUSIONS
(i) An automated pre-heating device known as
the Smart Weld Jet (SWJ) has been developed for
the alumino-thermic welding of rail that dispenses
with the need for external ‘artificial’ oxygen and that
results in welds of excellent integrity. Additional
advantages of the device include a reduction in the
risk of welder error, relieving the welder of such
tasks such as control and monitoring of preheating,
and avoidance of localised and extreme heating by
an oxy-propane flame. In combination with the
Smart Weld App, the SWJ provides full traceability
of the welding operation.
(ii) A new Thermit® alloy portion (Thermit
PLUS) has been developed targeting specifically the
recognised deficiencies associated with those por-
tions currently used in Heavy Haul applications. In
slow bend tests, deflections were increased by as
much as 30% for Grade R400HT rail.
(iii) The improved accuracy and reproducibility
of the automated SWJ/Smart Weld App system in
combination with the enhanced quality of the Ther-
mit PLUS portions is expected to result in a reduc-
tion in weld failures and in turn increased availabil-
ity of the track network.
5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to the Elektro-Thermit
GmbH welding and quality control teams. A signif-
icant number of alumino-thermic welds had to be
executed and analysed to establish the optimum set-
tings for the Thermit portion chemistries and pre-
heating parameters. In addition, Goldschmidt’s TIC
Thermit team should also be mentioned reflecting
their systematic, sustained and ultimately successful
development work on Smart Weld Jet.
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