AWS D15.2:2013

This document recommends the minimum standards for the welding of rails and related rail components used by rail vehicles. Repair procedures for rails and austenitic manganese steel components are covered. Thermite welding and electric flash welding guidelines are discussed. Procedure qualification, welder qualification, and general welding safety procedures are addressed.
Scope : This document recommends standards for joining, repair, maintenance, inspection of rail welds, and related rail components. For the purposes of this document, rails include railroad rails, crane rails, guard rails, electrical contact rails, girder rails, and retarder rails. Classification of rails is based on the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) specifications governing the manufacture of rails. Related rail components include rail crossings and turnouts which further include switch points, stock rails, switch point guards, spacer blocks, connecting rods, switch rods, plates, frogs, and frog components. The use of track components reconditioned by welding is a decision of the rail owner outside the scope of this document. This document does not include road bed maintenance except where it affects the expected life of the repair. Welding processes addressed in this document include shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), flash welding (FW), and thermite welding (TW). See Annex A and the Welding Handbook, Volumes 2 and 3, Ninth Edition for details on these processes. 1.2 Units of Measurement. This standard makes use of both U.S. Customary Units and the International System ofUnits (SI). The latter are shown within brackets [ ], or in appropriate columns in tables and figures. The measurements may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used independently. 1.3 Safety. Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard; some safety and health information is provided, but such issues are not fully addressed herein. Safety and health information is available from the following sources: American Welding Society (1) ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes(2) AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheets (3) Other safety and health information on the AWS website Material or Equipment Manufacturers: (1) Material Safety Data Sheets supplied by materials manufacturers (2) Operating Manuals supplied by equipment manufacturers Applicable Regulatory Agencies (1) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 49, Part 214, Railroad Workplace Safety. Work performed in accordance with this standard may involve the use of materials that have been deemed hazardous and may involve operations or equipment that may cause injury or death. This standard does not purport to address all safety and health risks that may be encountered. The user of this standard should establish an appropriate safety program to address such risks as well as to meet applicable regulatory requirements. ANSI Z49.1 should be considered when developing the safety program.