The first Russian railway St. Petersburg - Tsarskoe Selo opened on November 11.
Almost everything necessary for its construction: rails, switches, fasteners, rolling stock was purchased abroad.
Over time, Russia has become one of the leading powers in the production of railway products.
Today, Russian rails, which are in constant demand on the domestic and foreign markets, can serve as a special object of pride.
This year a number of interstate standards for railway welding, welded joints of rails and switches, welded elements of joints and crossings of railway tracks were accepted.
Developed by The Railway Research Institute (JSC VNIIZhT), the documents will be introduced in March next year.
Let's review GOST 34664-2020, Rails welded by thermite method. Specifications.
Because of the alumothermy process, thermite rails welding can be performed directly on the railway track, instead of in the workshops of rail welding facilities (as with the electro-contact method).
The document applies to rails of P 50, P 65, P 75 type welded with alumothermite intermediate casting method and intended for operation on the tracks of general and non-general use.
The new standard will replace TU 0921-127-01124323-2005, Alumothermic intermediate casting welding of rails. Technical Specifications, and TU 0783-001-59033294-2004, The foundry component for aluminum rail welding by intermediate casting method. New GOST fully takes into account three most qualitative welding technologies: Slovak, German and French.
According to N.G. Sinelnikov, the leading researcher of JSC VNIIZhT, application of this standard will allow to increase safety of railway transport due to higher performance characteristics of welded joints of rails used on railway tracks.
The owner of the railway infrastructure will be able to significantly save on track repair, as the probability of defects in welded joints of rails will be reduced by 20-30%.
"Russia is keeping up with the times by applying the newest standard for termite welding. It will reduce the impact loads - the rails will have a longer service life. Train travelling will become much more comfortable, and the knocking of train wheels, mentioned in numerous poems and songs, will become a thing of the past forever," said N.G. Sinelnikov.