Welding railway lines

A thermite welding process for joining aligned and adjacent sections of a railway line, the process including mounting a suitable thermite welding mould about suitably aligned and prepared sections of railway line to be welded together, and sufficiently sealing the mould so as to prevent run out, the steps of the process including:

• a.) configuring and attaching a vibration apparatus on the railway line such that a vibration means is mounted on a section of railway line at a suitable distance from the weld area, and vibrating the line at a suitable frequency of vibration and amplitude of vibration, such vibration being induced on the railway line being preset and/or adjustable during the welding process by a vibration control means configured and adapted to measure the frequency of vibration and the amplitude of vibration being applied to the line, the control means being adapted to allow adjustments to the frequency of vibration and the amplitude of vibration, and wherein the vibration apparatus includes a vibration means being a motor having eccentric weights applied to the shaft of the motor, the motor being clampable to a section of railway line adjacent the weld area and being arranged, in use, so as to allow vibration to be induced on the railway line;
• b.) welding the sections of railway line together using a thermite welding process including preheating the weld area to a suitable temperature, igniting the ignitor means to cause a reaction in the mould and allow molten steel to fill a weld area about and between the sections of railway line in the mould;
• and
• c.) continuing to apply vibration to the sections of railway line and the weld area for a period of time sufficient to allow the weld area to solidify and stabilize and until stress relieving of the weld area has occurred.