Hardface Technologys

Repair and rebuild of Manganese Crossings using Hardface Welding

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Difficulties of welding Manganese using Stick Welding

1. Safety - Welding fumes from Manganese can be dangerous to health.

2. Brittleness - Normal welding temperatures can damage the metal properties of manganese.

3. Productivity - The need to keep temperatures down reduces productivity.

4. Heat - Cumulative effects of heat limit the number of times a repair can be done.

5. Automation - Not feasible to automate Stick Welding process.

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The following presentation shows a badly worn and damaged Cast Manganese crossing before and after rebuild using Hardface Welding. The crossing has also been monitored since its installation including records of follow up work and of tonnages. Other examples of Repairs on Manganese Crossings showing before and after results have also been included. Details and advantages of Hardface Technologys methods for rebuild, repair and recycling of Manganese crossings are listed.

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Original crossing showing excessive wear on the wings and impact damage on the nose. Crossing had been declared excessively worn and/or damaged by customer and had been scrapped.

Close-up of nose

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Second view of crossing using straight edge to show level of wear.

Detail of damage to nose

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Crossing after grinding and ready for welding.

Note level of wear on wing.

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Crossing after welding and painting.

Ready for installation

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First Inspection. Crossing in track for two weeks. Total tonnage so far approx. 90,000 tonnes. Crossing in original condition, no post-grind done yet.

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First Inspection Detail of side of nose. Total tonnage so far 90,000 tonnes. No flow visible. Crossing in excellent condition.

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First Inspection Other side of crossing. Total tonnage 90,000 tonnes. Crossing beginning to show evidence of flow on this side. Post-grinding will be required within the next week.

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Second Inspection. In track 3 weeks. 135,000 tonnes. Still no post-grind. This side of crossing in very good condition. Flow just beginning on nose. Both wings in excellent condition. No flow visible on wings.

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Second Inspection. Crossing in track 3 weeks. 135,000 tonnes. Post-grinding just completed. Only nose required post-grinding.

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Second Inspection Crossing in track 3 weeks. 135,000 tonnes. Post-grind completed on second side. Wings are in excellent condition. No post-grinding necessary on wings.

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Third Inspection In track for approx. 3 months. Total tonnage >500,000 tonnes. Only one post-grind necessary so far. Wings and nose in excellent condition. Crossing showing minimal signs of wear.

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Third Inspection Other side of crossing No more flow. Wings in excellent condition. No post-grind required on wings.

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Third Inspection After 500,000 tonnes crossing has Settled in. No more flow to be removed. Wear on crossing is minimal.

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Final Inspection One Year after installation. Total tonnage 5.5million tonnes. Excellent condition. No post grind necessary. Repaired crossing will normally outlast new crossing.

Total cost of repair approx. 25% of cost of purchase.

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Advantages of welding Manganese using Hardface Welding

1. Safety - Reduction in welding fumes.

2. Brittleness - Reduced heat input reduces possibility of changing metal properties.

3. Productivity - Reduced heat input means longer beads, less stopping.

4. Heat - Less heat means same crossing can be repaired more than once.

5. Automation - Possible to automate the welding process.

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Other examples of Manganese Repairs using Hardface Welding

The following three examples show some of the types of repairs possible using Hardface Technologys Rail Repair methods.

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Example 1

This is an example of a crack on the nose of a cast manganese crossing. Crossing was declared Defective and removed from service.

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Example 1 After grinding, it became evident that the crack had extended completely through the nose to the other side.

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Example 1 Hardface Technologys removed the damaged section of the nose and re-built the nose from the bottom of the flangeway up.

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Example 1 Crossing after re-build and before painting. Final grinding to profile is done by hand by a highly skilled repair technician.

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Example 1

Crossing after painting. Ready for return to customer. Defective crossing returned to service for approximate cost of 25% of purchase price. Repairs normally outlast new crossing.

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Example 2

This picture shows the level of grinding that is sometimes necessary when very large repairs are required.

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Example 3 Picture shows RBM with severe damage to nose. Damage appears to be due to porosity in original manganese casting.

Evidence of porosity in original casting is obvious on wings and on the back of the nose.

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Example 3 Emergency repairs were conducted on crossing, in-situ, during a night possession. Picture shows crossing immediately after repair. Pink paint is used to help determine wheel tracking.

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Example 3 Picture taken 14 months after repair. Notice how nose shows no sign of porosity. Repair on nose is now all solid metal. This area will last longer than original surface metal. Due to time constraints, the wings have not been repaired and still exhibit signs of porosity.

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Properly conducted Hardface Welding repairs on Austenitic Manganese Crossings will result in a component that performs better that the original.

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Hardface Technologys recommends conducting Hardface Welding on the transition areas of new Austenitic Manganese crossings before installation. This process will prevent future problems due to casting defects and will coat the transition areas of crossing with a tougher more durable metal.

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Advantages of using Hardface Technologys

1. Experience - The most experienced Rail Repair contractor in Australia.

2. Skill - Trained personnel, certified by Rail Infrastructure Corporation.

3. Research ability - Work in conjunction with Industry Leaders such as Lincoln, ESAB.

4. Flexibility - Able to repair crossings in our workshop and on site.

5. Automation - Only Australian contractor using ESAB BV automatic rail welder.

6. $$$ - Large cost savings possible by using our repair methods.

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Get ahead with Hardface

Hardface Technologys PO Box 635 Penrith, NSW 2750 2073 Castlereagh Road, Penrith, NSW 2750 Tel. (02) 4729 4447 Fax. (02) 4729 0128 Mob. 0413 640 526 E-mail hardface.technologys@bigpond.com Website www.hardfacetechnologys.com