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<p>When I was installing remote sensing gauges for river levels, we
used the thermite welding process to connect our gauge housings
and antennas to the 1/0 copper wire that was buried in the ground
for lightning protection. It required welding 3 copper radials
from the gauge housing to a wire buried in a 12ft diameter circle
3 ft deep. Each radial was also welded to a copper plated ground
rod driven 9 ft deep in the ground. We used Cadweld brand
Thermite and molds to accomplish this. We must have done it
right, in the first year of operation we had 3 of our 18 gauges
take direct lightning strikes. All 3 stayed online after
automatic reset. <br>
I took a crash course in lightning protection for tall
structures. It was one of my more interesting projects while
working for the State of OKla 30 years...<br>
Cecil<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/3/2019 10:12 AM, Howard Pletcher
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CANEFi4aEHi1Wz13O_-Z-UWgsw8ooDkPL74FQ863h=chMYVocvg@mail.gmail.com">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Steel
Dynamics said they were looking at friction welding of the
rails although I didn't ask the obvious question of how they
would obtain the friction since spinning the parts doesn't
seem possible. Perhaps some sort of high frequency vibration?</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The
process used in the video is very similar to what is done at
Steel Dynamics.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Howard</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 10:22
AM Gene Dotson <<a href="mailto:gdotsly@watchtv.net"
moz-do-not-send="true">gdotsly@watchtv.net</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px
0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
Our process at Rockwell for welding spindles on to axle
tubes was simply<br>
called butt welding in our processes. The axle tube and
spindle were clamped<br>
in their own vice like device and held in stationary precise
location. They<br>
both were heated to very near melting temperature by a large
high frequency<br>
induction coil, then high pressure cylinders forced the
spindle onto the<br>
axle tube. The intensive pressure added the extra temperature
to melt the<br>
mating surfaces, completing the weld which was then quenched
by a spray of<br>
water and quenching fluid.<br>
<br>
A later method was friction welding. The axle beam was
clamped<br>
stationary in a holding fixture. The spindle was located in a
fixture that<br>
was on a rotating spindle and rotated at high speed with
pressure exerted on<br>
the mating surface creating a very high temperature. At near
melting<br>
temperature, a quick application from an induction coil
completed the<br>
heating process at which point the spindle was stopped with
molten metal at<br>
junction of spindle with pressure at which time the weld was
quenched<br>
completing the process.<br>
<br>
Gene<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message----- <br>
From: Carl Gogol<br>
Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2019 7:47 AM<br>
To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group'<br>
Subject: Re: [AT] Welding Rails<br>
<br>
Rails are thermite welded in the field<br>
Carl<br>
Manlius, NY<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: AT <<a
href="mailto:at-bounces@lists.antique-tractor.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">at-bounces@lists.antique-tractor.com</a>>
On Behalf Of James Peck<br>
Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2019 7:27 AM<br>
To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <<a
href="mailto:at@lists.antique-tractor.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">at@lists.antique-tractor.com</a>><br>
Subject: Re: [AT] Welding Rails<br>
<br>
That certainly looks like resistance welding.<br>
<br>
Steve Offiler AT List member Mechanical Engineer (<a
href="mailto:soffiler@gmail.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">soffiler@gmail.com</a>);<br>
Interesting, but not very helpful:<br>
<br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9i4aMYTv8o"
rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9i4aMYTv8o</a><br>
<br>
James AT List Member (<a href="mailto:jamesgpeck@hotmail.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">jamesgpeck@hotmail.com</a>);
You have got me curious. I am<br>
going to guess resistance welding if you say that the rail
ends are pushed<br>
together.<br>
<br>
<a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_resistance_welding"
rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_resistance_welding</a><br>
<br>
Howard Pletcher AT List Member AT List Member (<a
href="mailto:hrpletch@gmail.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">hrpletch@gmail.com</a>); The<br>
process is mostly automated and details are hidden by the
equipment. The<br>
rail joint comes into the welding station, the operator cleans
the ends, the<br>
door closes, and there’s 2 seconds of arcing. My
understanding is it begins<br>
with a small gap between the ends and as the steel begins to
melt from the<br>
arc, it is shoved together with high pressure. I assume the
rails are<br>
clamped between (large) contacts to apply the current—should
have asked for<br>
more details.<br>
<br>
Mentioning dimming city lights, they melt 120 tons of scrap in
an electric<br>
arc furnace in a batch. They said this uses the same current
as the city of<br>
Fort Wayne. Fortunately they are on their own distribution
lines so the<br>
lights don’t go out.<br>
<br>
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