GT100 rail flash welding machine  

    This specification describes a self-contained fully enclosed, ready for service, in-track welding system. The system is designed for tunnel operation. The unit is designed to run with high flash point fluids and all cables and hoses are fitted with fire proof shields. The system is complete with a diesel engine generator set and integral cooling system. Voltage control is by means of direct control.

    Hydraulic power is derived from a hydraulic pump driven from a 30kW electrical motor. The electrically driven pump provides power for both the welder and the crane. A 21 kW chiller, complete with circulating pumps, is provided to ensure the welding head operates within the correct temperature levels. This cooler is electrically driven from the generator secondary circuit.

All operating components are mounted on a steel base and are enclosed within a fire proof lined aluminum enclosure. Design of the enclosure and base allows the unit to be mounted from static plant welding or to be mounted directly on a truck chassis for mobile operations.

Range of application

    For welding of different rail types, only the initial settings are needed to be made and once they have been made, the machine can weld the same rail type without other subsequent settings.

Production capacity (thermal capacity)  

    For profile UIC 60, burr removal included,      up to10 welds / h

1. GT100 Welding Head

    The welding head GT100 can weld both vignole and grooved rail (it needs specific electrodes and shearing knife for required rail type) and can be easily converted.

    The machine GT100 is designed for flash-butt welding by continuous flashing of rails with cross-section area from 6.400 mm2 up to 10.000 mm2 with flash removing immediately after welding under field conditions being a part of movable rail-welding plants.

    The welder ensures high efficiency and welding quality. Its compact and relatively light design allows using any vehicle, placing the welder on the welded rail joint and quickly adjusting welding parameters.

    Alignment between the two rail ends is carried out in two planes: Vertically onto crown stops, horizontally on the center of the rail web.

2.Shearing Knife

   Full profile shearing shall be achieved by passing the shear tooling across the weld immediately after the weld is made. The cutting edge is build-up by hard facing electrode for high temperature working conditions 850 °C.

3.Welding Electrodes

     Contact with the rail web is by special material electrodes. The electrodes are made by forged high quality alloy with good electrical conductibility and hardness 220 HB.

    These are specially designed with spring loaded location points to ensure accurate alignment of the rail ends for welding.

4. Control and Power Cabinet

    All welding machine related control elements are housed in a control cabinet.

    The cabinet is intended for a sheltered installation (0°C to + 55°C) equipped with its own air conditioner unit, and heat insulating foam.

    Automatic programmable microprocessor-based system is designed for control of actuators and mechanisms of mobile welding machine GT100 for butt induction rail welding.

    The system controls all aspects of the welding cycle including the final shear. Specific welding schedules are available for most rail sections and can be developed for any special requests.

Weld time is typically 2.5 to 3 minutes with approximately 25 – 38 mm of rail consumption.

Welding voltages are varied according to the rail size and according to the welding program.

These voltages are provided by a powerful thyro control and are in the range of:

-       Stage I and II 400-440 V

-       Stage III 300-340 V

 5. WPC 2.0 (Welding Process Controller)

The Welding Process Controller(WPC) gives information about the following parametersof the welding process:

-       the effective size of voltage in the welding transformer (V)

-       the effective value of current in the welding transformer (kA)

-       the forging force - the force of pressing together the rails to be weld (kN)

-       the displacement of the welding jaws (mm)

-       the time elapsed during the welding process (s)

-       the temperature of the environment during the welding process (°C)

-       the GPS position of the welding machine during the welding process