Abstract: A system or method of repairing railroad rails which includes a head, upright and base sections. The method includes at least the following steps: identifying and locating a defect in the rail, removing the defect by removing material from the rail surrounding the defect in at least the head section so as to form a void and a rail void interface while maintaining continuity of the rail, filling the void with molten metal having a high carbon content and causing the molten metal and the rail void interface to bond. The molten metal may be produced by gas shielded arc welding. The carbon content of the molten metal is near that of the rail to decrease carbon migration from the rails.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using weld penetration containing one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds consisting of a) a titanium oxide, b) nickel oxide, c) a metal silicide, and d) mixtures of these compounds a flux containing at least two titanium oxides, nickel oxide, and a manganese silicide is particularly useful for welding a side variety of maerial including nickel-based alloys and carbon and stainless steels. The flux can be applied as a paste, as part of a cored wire or rod coated on the exterior of a filler wire or rod. Alternatively, it can be mixed with a polymeric binder and applied to the weld zone as a hot melt, paint, tape, adhesive, rod, wire or a stick.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using titanates such as Na2Ti3O7 or K2TiO3. A small amount of the titanate is applied to the weld zone in a carrier fluid paste or as part of a wire filler to afford deep penetration welds in carbon, chrome-molybdenum, and stainless steels as well as nickel-based alloys. To control arc wander, bead consistency, and slag and surface appearance of the weldments, various additional components may be optionally added to the titanate flux including transition metal oxides such as TiO, TiO2, Cr2O3, and Fe2O3, silicon dioxide, manganese silicides, fluorides and chlorides. However, the toxicity of the plumes from halide additives and the necessity of post-weld removal to prevent corrosion may preclude their use. In addition, it was found that a flux of titanium oxides, Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 affords deep weld penetration in carbon steels and nickel-based alloys but with some heat-to-heat variation.