Prediction of Residual Stress Distribution in Flash Butt Welded Rails Using Electro-Thermo-Mechanical Simulation

Flash butt welding is commonly used in the manufacture of continuously welded rails. It is a resistance welding method, often performed in stationary plants, which consists of electrical heating and hydraulic forging of the rail ends. This method introduces a residual stress field in the foot, web and head of the rail. This investigation performs an electro-thermo-mechanical analysis using finite element techniques to analyze the residual stress in two continuously welded rails. The residual stress results are compared with ASTM E837-99 standard test data.