Independent laboratory testing to European standards to provide approval data for mobile on-track Flash Butt Welding plant.

Synopsis

Corus’ client was a European railway engineering contractor who conducts on-track flash butt welding of rail. Our client had purchased new welding plant and needed to demonstrate compliance of the new plant to European mobile flash butt welding standard 14587-2 in order to win business and begin welding as soon as possible with the new equipment. Using its certified, calibrated laboratory facilities, Corus was able to quickly conduct a full suite of approval tests and provide an independent assessment of the new welding plant. Our client was then subsequently able to use our comprehensive compliance report to gain approval from a range of European railways to begin on-track welding with the new plant.

Key Client Issues

• A requirement to have a new welding plant independently assessed for compliance against European standard 14587-2
• Laboratory testing had to be completed rapidly in order to be able to begin welding with the new plant as quickly as possible, to start recovering the significant capital investment

Solutions

Our client selected Corus because of our extensive laboratory facilities and our ability to carry out a fully independent assessment of the capability of the new welding plant within the required timescales and budget. Corus was also selected because we have delivered similar projects successfully in the last 3 years for the same client.

Corus was able to address the key client issues by:

• Running parallel streams of laboratory testing to speed up delivery of the approval data and report
• Providing the full range of testing in-house, including metallography, full-section bend testing and full-section fatigue testing
• Applying in-depth knowledge of rail welding to work closely with the client to address any issues during approval testing as they occurred
• Providing a comprehensive, independent, auditable report detailing test results and assessing compliance to the European welding standard

Client Benefits

• Approvals report provided rapidly by a recognised authority in rail and welding metallurgy
• Ability to demonstrate to their clients that the new welding plant has been independently assessed
• Subsequent approval from these clients to begin on-track welding, resulting in faster returns from the new equipment