Method and system for welding railroad rails
AssigneeLincoln Global, Inc.
InventorMichael J. Morlock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of gas shielded arc welding steel rails spaced from each other to define a longitudinal gap therebetween comprises the steps of providing an elongated steel barrier plate across the gap at the bottom of the spaced rails, and filling the gap above the barrier plate with a molten steel from an advancing filler metal electrode by a gas shielded electric arc welding process. The barrier plate has a central portion received in the gap and longitudinally extending recesses laterally outwardly adjacent to the central portion and which underlie the bottoms of the rails at the bottom of the gap.
Claims85
A method of gas shielded arc welding steel rails each having a lower base with a support bottom having a given width, a vertically extending web and an upper head, said rails being longitudinally spaced from each other to define a transverse gap to be filled with steel to join said rails wherein said gap has a lower opening, lateral, vertically extending distal openings and a selected width, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an elongated steel barrier plate with a length corresponding to said given width of said lower bases, a width and a nominal thickness less than said width;
- (b) supporting said barrier plate in said gap at the bottom of and between said bases of said spaced rails;
- and,
- (c) filling said gap above said steel barrier plate with a molten steel from an advancing filler metal electrode by a gas shielded electric arc welding process initiated by an arc between said electrode and said barrier plate.
A method of gas shielded arc welding steel rails each comprising a base having a bottom, a vertically extending web and an upper head, said rails being longitudinally spaced apart to provide a base gap, a web gap and a head gap therebetween to be filled with steel to join said rails, said bottom of each said base having a laterally extending bottom edge and said base gap having a selected width between the bottom edges of the rails, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an elongated steel barrier plate having laterally opposite sides extending in the direction of said bottom edges, a width between said opposite sides greater than said selected width of said base gap, top and bottom sides, and a recess in said top side along each of said laterally opposite sides forming a barrier plate portion having a width corresponding to said selected width;
- (b) positioning said barrier plate for said plate portion to extend upwardly into said base gap at the bottom of said bases and for the recesses to receive the bottoms of the rails along the bottom edges thereof;
- and,
- (c) filling said base, web and head gaps above said steel barrier plate with a molten steel from an advancing filler metal electrode by a gas shielded electric arc welding process.
A system of gas shielded arc welding steel rails each comprising a base having a bottom, a vertically extending web and an upper head, said system comprising means for holding said rails longitudinally spaced from each other to provide a base gap, a web gap and a head gap therebetween to be filled with steel to join said rails, said bottom of each said base having a laterally extending bottom edge, said edge having a length and said base gap having a selected width between the bottom edges of the bases of the rails, an elongated steel barrier plate with a length in the direction of said edges, a width greater than said selected width of said base gap and a nominal thickness, said barrier plate being located at the bottom of said base gap and including recesses receiving portions of the bottoms of the rail bases along and longitudinally adjacent said bottom edges thereof to close said base gap at said bottom edges, and welding means for filling said base gap, web gap and head gap above said barrier plate with a molten steel, said welding means including an advancing filler metal electrode.
A barrier plate for use in gas shielded arc welding steel rails each comprising a base having a bottom, a vertically extending web and an upper head, said rails being longitudinally spaced apart to provide a base gap, web gap and head gap to be filled with steel to join said rails, said bottom of each said base having a laterally extending bottom edge, said edge having a length and said base gap having a width between the bottom edges of the bases of the rails, said barrier plate comprising an elongate steel body having top and bottom surfaces, a length in the direction of said bottom edges, laterally opposite sides providing a width greater than said width of said base gap and a nominal thickness between said surfaces, and said barrier plate including a recess in said upper surface along each of said opposite sides, the recesses opening upwardly and laterally outwardly of the corresponding side to provide a central portion and side edges therealong, said central portion having a width for said central portion to be received in said base gap and for said side edges to underlie portions of the bottoms of the bases of the rails.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.