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On the night of March 21,the section between Maga and Meihua Mountain on the Shanghai-Kunming Up Line was ablaze with lights. The Liupanshui Workers and Electrical Section for the first time adopted flash-butt welding technology during a long rail replacement construction project. Through optimized procedures and innovative craftsmanship, the section achieved efficient and high-quality rail replacement operations, providing an important practical case for the upgrading of track maintenance technologies.
At 19:01 that evening, the construction officially began. After the railcar accurately disassembled the old rails, the workers simultaneously carried out rail sawing and installation of under-rail pads, saving 5 minutes in the process. By pre-marking the parking positions and coordinating with the shunters, the railcar achieved successful positioning in one attempt, reducing adjustment time by 3 minutes.
During the construction, the on-site supervisor oversaw key processes throughout. The welding machine operators precisely controlled parameters such as current and pressure to ensure uniform and flawless welds. The safety officers monitored equipment avoidance and personnel movement in real time to ensure accident-free operations. In the end, both welding joints passed ultrasonic flaw detection, achieving "zero errors" throughout the process.
Compared with traditional thermite welding, flash-butt welding fuses rails through instantaneous high temperatures, resulting in higher weld strength, longer service life, and better environmental performance. In this construction, the application of flash-butt welding technology significantly shortened the welding time, with the single welding cycle reduced by approximately 20% compared to traditional processes. At the same time, the quality met flaw detection standards at the first attempt, avoiding the risk of defects in new welds.
The successful case of using flash-butt welding technology for long rail replacement not only accumulates valuable experience for subsequent similar operations but also marks a new stage for the Liupanshui Workers and Electrical Section in the railway maintenance field. This technology not only provides a better solution for rail maintenance in high-cold and high-load sections but also lays a foundation for large-scale promotion in the future due to its high efficiency and environmental protection. In the future, our section will fully promote the use of flash welding technology and further explore the integration of automated welding equipment and intelligent control systems to advance the digital and refined transformation of railway maintenance.
Source: Liupanshui Workers and Electrical Section
