Multi-Life Grooved Rail

For tight curves of

Its first life is three times that of standard rail and equal to hard-faced rail. It is also guaranteed to be fully weld-restorable for multiple lives using British Steel’s patented process. ‍

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Extending the first use phase‍

British Steel's ML330 offers the best wear resistance and restorability of any grooved rail on the market. With a hardness of 320–360HB, ML330 provides considerable benefits to tramway networks by postponing rail renewal and further reducing life cycle costs.‍

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Unique product‍

The ML330 grooved rail is unique and much longer lasting than other available grades due to:

• A high wear resistance inherited from the intelligent design of the steel composition and microstructure
• Its ability for side wear to be robustly and repeatedly restored using our patented low pre-heat welding process‍

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‍Features of ML330’s wear performance include:

• Resistance to vertical wear comparable to the hardest grades in grooved rail
• Resistance to side wear equivalent to that of rail that has been hard-faced by welding prior to installation‍

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‍Restoring grooved rail‍

British Steel have developed a patented weld repair process.  The low pre-heat weld restoration process is now being successfully employed to restore grooved rail in tramway networks throughout Europe.  The process is ideal for rebuilding worn grooved rail in track to:

• Extend rail life
• Reduce life cycle costs‍

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‍Robust welds‍

A welding technique requiring low pre-heating offers significant advantages:

• A low pre-heat avoids damage to polymers surrounding the embedded rail
• Unlike ‘no pre-heat’ methods of weld restoration, it produces robust, crack-free weld deposits. The prescribed low bulk pre-heat of 80°C employed ensures the development of a tougher micro-structure that is resistant to cracking.

Restoration of the ML330 grooved rail using this process has been evaluated by the University of Cambridge. The results validate the principles of the welding process and the integrity of the welds done on ML330.‍

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Welding advice‍

British Steel offer advice and consultancy to tramway networks on a wide range of rail welding issues. By sharing their expertise, they can help customers reduce the life cycle costs of renewal and maintenance.