Modern rail production technology

Modern steel rail production process

Modern steel rails are at the heart of the railway industry, as they provide an essential connection between the railcars and locomotives and the track. Rails are made from steel and are composed of a variety of materials, such as steel alloys, copper, nickel and other metals. The rail production process involves several stages, starting with the preparation of raw materials, which includes the selection of steel alloys and the melting and rolling of the steel strips.

The next step is rail forming, generally consisting of the forming of the steel strips into rail shapes. This is done by first heating the steel strips and then pushing it through a four-high mill. This mill contains four parallel rolls and one of them is used to shape the steel strip into the desired shape with the help of hydraulic pressure. After the rail has been formed, it has to be cooled and stress-relieved. This is done by quenching the rail in cold water and then tempering it in hot water. Once the rail has been cooled and stress-relieved, it undergoes annealing, which is a heat treatment process in which the steel is heated to a specific temperature and then cooled in order to reduce the brittleness of the steel.

Once the rail has been annealed, it is subjected to surface finishing and protective coating. The surface finishing includes grinding and polishing to give the rail a smooth finish and improve its corrosion resistance. Finally, the rail is coated with a protective coating, such as paint or zinc, which helps protect it from corrosion.

Once the rails are made, they are tested to ensure optimum strength, durability and safety. The tests include ultra-sonic and X-ray inspections to detect any defects or flaws that might threaten the strength and reliability of the rails.

Modern steel rail production is a highly advanced process that utilizes state-of-the-art technology and strict quality control procedures in order to consistently produce rails that meet the highest standards of reliability, performance and safety. Steel rails are essential for modern railroads and the entire process of rail production must be closely monitored, from the selection of raw materials to the testing of finished products, to ensure that only the highest quality materials and components are used.

Contemporary steel rail production technology

Modern steel rail production technology advanced level in the international is at the forefront, compared with the traditional forging method, the production process of modern steel rail is more complex, which involves a variety of identification, heat treatment, welding and sizing process.

1. Selection of raw materials: modern steel rail production often uses low carbon alloy steel or high carbon steel or low carbon steel as raw materials, and has strict chemical requirements for raw materials.

2. Melt treatment: This is a crucial step that affects the structure and response of steel. At this stage, the composition of the raw material is determined and special requirements are satisfied.

3. Hot rolling: This process is dedicated to produce the approximate shape of the rail. Precision hot rolling through the roll continuously on the roll to shape the steel.

4. Heat treating: This involves annealing, quenching, tempering and other heat treatments, so as to ensure that the rail can meet the performance requirements of the railway.

5. Arc welding : in this step, the rail is welded together with the center beam and two sides of the head. And then inspect the appearance of the weld and inspect the strength of the weld by non-destructive inspection.

6. Cold-rolling: In order to ensure the size accuracy and shape accuracy of rail, the rail is heated to a certain temperature and then cold-rolled by multi-roller roll to meet the requirements.

7. Finishing treatment: Under the premise of ensuring the size and shape accuracy and improving the surface quality, the surface of the rail is processed by grinding to remove the steel oxide scale and obtain a smooth surface.

Collections of materials, inspection and detention, heat treatment, welding and sizing processing, etc. are all indispensable processes in modern steel rail production technology. As the industry develops, steel rail production technology also continues to improve, constantly optimizing the production process and formulating corresponding production standards.