Metallurgy and Materials Technology

As pressure grows on the railways to carry larger volumes of passenger and freight traffic, duty requirements are increasing while opportunities for maintenance are decreasing.

Corus’ metallurgists and materials technologists recognise the importance of designing and selecting track system components to meet duty requirements. They also understand that those components must be chosen with reference to track design and vehicle parameters and to all the issues surrounding installation and maintenance.

Corus works closely with network operators and maintainers to help them make the right choice of components and to enhance network performance and safety. They can provide expert advice on:

• Current standard rail grades used in networks worldwide and how to optimise their use
• New, premium grade rail steels to provide solutions in specific applications for rail networks suffering high rates of side wear in curves, rolling contact fatigue and corrugation
• The application of composites for network areas with specialist requirements
• All aspects of rail welding, from rail joining using flash butt welding through to surface weld repair to replace material lost through wear, or to repair surface defects such as squats
• Rail corrosion protection
• Materials and component selection for rail fastenings, pads and sleepers
• Rail noise reduction, including the Corus Silent Track innovation