[AT] Welding Rails

[James Peck]

I have never been around the induction welding process. Thanks for bringing this up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_welding

Gene Dotson AT List member and Case 320 dozer owner (gdotsly at watchtv.net);     Our process at Rockwell for welding spindles on to axle tubes was simply called butt welding in our processes. The axle tube and spindle were clamped in their own vice like device and held in stationary precise location. They both were heated to very near melting temperature by a large high frequency induction coil, then high pressure cylinders forced the spindle onto the axle tube. The intensive pressure added the extra temperature to melt the mating surfaces, completing the weld which was then quenched by a spray of water and quenching fluid.

    A later method was friction welding. The axle beam was clamped stationary in a holding fixture. The spindle was located in a fixture that was on a rotating spindle and rotated at high speed with pressure exerted on the mating surface creating a very high temperature. At near melting temperature, a quick application from an induction coil completed the heating process at which  point the spindle was stopped with molten metal at junction of spindle with pressure at which time the weld was quenched completing the process.

Carl Gogol Manlius NY AT List member (cgogol1971 at gmail.com); Rails are thermite welded in the field

James AT List Member (jamesgpeck at hotmail.com);  That certainly looks like resistance welding.