Product Showcase: Rail milling as a sustainable strategy for modern rail asset management – LINMAG GmbH

The target profile is defined by the shape of the milling tool and is fixed for each set of tools. To change to a different rail profile, a different milling wheel with the new target profile needs to be installed on the train, which is a very fast process.

Larger milling trains with multiple milling units per rail can have different profiles installed on each set of milling units. This allows an uninterrupted transition from one profile to another. Achievable profile quality is typically at least half of the required tolerances of EN 13231-3:2012.

The milling process is completely spark and dust free which enables the process to be applied with limited or no special precautions in environmentally sensitive areas such as tunnels, stations or zones with general fire restrictions/bans. The generated process heat is transferred into the milling tool and the metal chips. The machined rail surface experiences no significant heat input. Therefore, any unwanted material transformation like ‘white etching layers’ is presumably prevented.