Fatigue testing of SKV-F thermit welds cast between Cadweld head bonded rails (LR-MT-011)

Earlier work has shown that copper remnants from removed Cadweld head bonds can cause intergranular cracking of subsequently made SKV-F Thermit welds. Cracking can occur if the remnants are within 30mm of the rail end. To test whether such cracking impairs the weld fatigue life, fatigue tests have been...