Voestalpine Schienen Gmbh

Voest-alpine Aktiengesellschaft

Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisen- Und Stahlwerke-alpine Montan

Voest-alpine International Corporation

Alfred Moser

Peter Pointner

Georg Prskawetz

Hubert J Augustin

Luzian Pochmarski

Wolfgang Polanschutz

Eduard Friesenbichler

A process for the manufacture of a railroad rail of a steel alloy having a pearlitic microstructure. The rail is is shaped at a reduction rate of 1.8 to 8% and aligned straight in its longitudinal direction at a temperature between 770&deg; C. and 1050&deg; C., whereafter it is mounted with the head down and is allowed to cool slowly in still air to a temperature of 5 to 120&deg; C. above the Ar temperature, and upon reaching this temperature at least the rail head is dipped into a cooling liquid and is cooled to the temperature of conversion of an austenitic grain microstructure into a fine pearlitic grain microstructure.

Method for heat-treating profiled rolling stock

A method for the thermal treatment of rails, in particular of the rail head, in which cooling is carried out in a cooling agent that contains a synthetic cooling agent additive starting at temperatures above 720&deg; C. The treatment is carried out by immersion in the cooling agent until withdrawal of the immersed areas occurs, at a surface temperature between 450 and 550&deg; C. results without temperature equalization across the whole of the cross-section, thereby avoiding hardening of the rail web whilst maintaining an optimal cooling rate for the rail head.

Procedure for the thermal treatment of rails

A railroad rail of a steel alloy having a pearlitic microstructure, which rail has a good long-term serviceability, high ductility and high abrasion resistance of the working surface at the rail head, the rail being formed of a steel alloy having a chemical composition in weight % of 0.4 to 1.0 carbon, 0.1 to 1.2 silicon, 0.5 to 3.5 manganese, up to 1.5 chromium, optionally other alloy elements below 1 weight %, the rest being iron and impurities, and at least the rail head having a portion of fine pearlitic microstructure and a hardness between 340 HB and 425 HB down to a sufficient depth from the top surface, the arrangement and the extension of the portion of fine pearlitic microstructure in the rail cross section being even along the entire length of the rail.

Heat-treated profiled rolling stock

A method for the thermal treatment of rails, in particular of the rail head, in which cooling is carried out in a cooling agent that contains a synthetic cooling agent additive, starting at temperatures above 720&deg; C. The treatment is carried out by immersion in the cooling agent until withdrawl of the immersed areas, courses, at a surface temperature between 450 and 550&deg; C. results without temperature equalization across the whole of the cross-section, section, there by avoiding hardening of the rail web whilst maintaining an optimal cooling rate for the rail head.

At least two magnetic induction elements operated with alternating current are disposed successively in the longitudinal direction at the guide for a strand of a continuous casting plant, and in particular for a continuous steel casting plant, to provide a stirring mechanism. Each induction element is connected to its own phase (R, S, T, N) of the at least two phase alternating current and the phases (R, S, T, N) are shifted with respect to each other by a phase angle of from about 0 to 180 degrees. In order to avoid the formation of a continously uniformly directed circulating current of metal despite a simple and sturdy stirring provision and without the presence of additional switching circuits, the phases (R,S,T) generate in each case electromagnetic forces under formation of a magnetic alternating field at at least two neighboring induction elements, where the momentary value differences and the directional differences correspond to a phase shift of .PHI.+180 degrees.

Stirring provision for a continuous casting plant

For the purpose of connecting frogs consisting of austenitic manganese steel casting with rails consisting of carbon steel there is proposed an aluminothermic process in which the carbon content of the aluminothermic welded connection is limited with 0.2 percent by weight. In this case, the procedure is preferably such that the composition of the melt corresponds, as related to the Schaffler-diagram, to a Ni-equivalent of 13 to 35 percent and to a Cr-equivalent of 8 to 25 percent, noting that for a carbon content of .ltoreq.0.15 percent and preferably .ltoreq.0.1 percent, the equivalent value for Ni is 1x%Ni+30x%C+0.5%Mn and the equivalent value for Cr is 1x%Cr+1x%Mo+1.5x%Si.

Process for connecting frogs consisting of austenitic manganese steel

To increase the effective acoustic capacity and to enable the mold side walls to be conventionally designed, a continuous casting plant comprising a stationary supporting structure and a continuous casting mold supported on the structure has its ultrasonic transducers fastened at one end to the stationary supporting structure and at the other end to the continuous casting mold.

Arrangement provided at a continuous casting plant

A method of joining frogs consisting of wear-resisting austenitic manganese steel casting to rails of carbon steel by welding and with the aid of an interposed connector consisting of austenitic low-carbon steel, characterized in that the connector is first welded to the regular rail or interconnecting rail, particularly by flash-butt welding, that the length of the connector which has been welded to the regular rail is limited to 20 to 25 mm, at most, preferably to 15 to 20 mm, that in a second welding operation the frog consisting of a wear-resisting manganese steel casting is welded to the connector, preferably by flash-butt welding, and that the cooling after the second welding operation is effected at a higher rate than the cooling after the first welding operation.

Method of joining frogs of wear-resisting manganese steel castings to

Process for producing a component part of a railway switch or of a railway crossing in which frogs consisting of austenitic manganese steel casting are, with interposition of an intermediate piece, connected by a welding operation with rails consisting of carbon steel, characterized in that an intermediate piece is welded to the portions of the frog or of the component part of the railway crossing which are to be connected with the rails, and in that this intermediate piece consists of austenitic steel, whereupon the frog or the component part of the railway crossing is, together with the intermediate piece, heated to a temperature, preferably to about 1050.degree. C., at which any embrittlement of the workpiece is removed, and whereupon the frog or the component part of the crossing having the intermediate piece welded thereto is rapidly cooled, for instance by quenching with water, and whereupon the rail is welded to the intermediate piece and subsequently the welding area is allowed to slowly cool, the intermediate piece having a smaller height than has the rail and the frog or the component part of the railway crossing, and further characterized in that prior to heating the frog or component part of the railway crossing and the intermediate piece, a cladding layer forming the running surface and consisting of wear-resistant manganese steel is applied.

Growing community of inventors

Leoben, Austria

Alfred Moser