Once the sleepers are arranged on the ballast bed, the rails are then unloaded from a rail-transport car equipped with a gantry crane.<\/p>\n
The rail, as a fundamental element of the track, must have a series of characteristics that allow it to withstand a complex set of forces: its profile, length and metallurgical composition must conform to the requirements established for the track. The rail installed on the tracks of Spanish high-speed lines is profile 60 E1 and grade R260, in accordance with European regulations and Adif\u2019s technical specifications.<\/p>\n
Generally, on Spanish tracks, rails are assembled in long welded bars (288 and 270 m), a length that varies depending on the length of the primary bars (36, 72 and 90 m) that make it up in order to reduce the number of welds, which are delicate to perform correctly and generally give worse geometric and mechanical characteristics than the rails, constituting points of disturbance to the rolling of trains which need to be monitored in the maintenance phase. Spanish high speed currently uses 108-m primary bars, which are later electrically welded using a mobile plant. The aim is to maximise the length of the primary rail, making an electric weld using automatic equipment, with no filler metal and minimal human intervention, so that the resulting product resembles a continuously-rolled bar as closely as possible both in terms of composition and defect-free geometry.<\/p>\n
The quality control carried out by Ineco on the rails involves, on the one hand, validation at the rail factory (primary bar) and then in the electric welding workshop (welded long bar). For this, geometry and external and internal rail and electric welding checks are carried out, as well as comparative tests in the external laboratory on both elements.<\/p>\n
Prior to supplying the rail, the condition of the storage slab, its levelling and the equipment for unloading and installing the rail (gantries and hoists) are checked with the manufacturer and supplier. Once the rail has been deposited on the slab, its arrangement is inspected and a random check of the geometry is carried out using verification templates. Ineco is also in charge of the traceability of the rails supplied to each high-speed line, which is essential for identifying the future physical location of bars produced by the same rolling, which, over time, can lead to the appearance of defects not detected by the usual verifications.<\/p>\n
Spanish industry has been able to adapt to high quality requirements and extremely demanding production and supply deadlines in order to meet the construction needs of the entire Spanish high-speed network and, in many cases, exports its production overseas<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Control of track devices\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
Track devices are essential elements for the operation of the railway because they allow trains to pass from one track to another by means of turnouts, and they absorb movements that are generated in hyperstatic viaducts caused by various factors (temperature expansion, braking effects, rheostatic effects, etc.), the so-called expansion devices, which make thermal contraction and expansion movements compatible with the track superstructure installed on top of them. In Spain, there are four companies that manufacture track devices (two in Asturias and two in the Basque Country), and they provide almost the entire national supply and a significant part of the international supply (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, etc.).<\/p>\n
Controls and checks are continuous given that the turnouts used on high-speed lines allow speeds of up to 350 km\/h on direct track and 80, 100, 160 or 220 km\/h over points, depending on the model, meaning that safety must be guaranteed at all times. The controls on these devices begin by verifying compliance with the main parameters during pre-assembly in the workshop, a task that is formalised with the signing of an acceptance protocol. In addition, supply deliveries and deadlines have to be checked and, once at the track assembly base, the same parameters are reviewed before the device is incorporated into the track.<\/p>\n
Track devices may be incorporated while the primary levelling of the track is being done. From there, a topographical survey is carried out during ballast laying and stabilisation phases until the final level is reached. Once the topographical parameters have been verified, an approval report is drawn up. Subsequently, the track device is checked again to ensure that all of its components are in perfect condition and working order, lastly checking compliance with the parameters guaranteeing operation with complete safety. At this point, a works acceptance protocol is issued and this becomes part of the documentation submitted prior to the commissioning of the line.<\/p>\n
As for expansion devices, in addition to the work described above, viaduct joints must be measured regularly for different temperature ranges. Based on these measurements, together with the temperature at which they were taken, a progression line is obtained and this makes it possible to determine whether the planned expansion device is suitable, or whether another model needs to be used in its place to ensure the required safety and operating conditions. The extensive experience of Ineco\u2019s staff makes it possible for them to continuously collaborate with track device manufacturers in order to facilitate the evolution of the models, improve performance and reduce costs without affecting in the least the required safety standards. Over the last 15 years of collaboration between Ineco and Adif\u2019s technicians, more than 1,100 track devices and approximately 700 expansion devices have been verified.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
121 tonnes of rail, 550 tonnes of sleepers and 145 lorries loaded with ballast are just one example of what goes into building just one kilometre of single track on a high-speed line. Technicians from Ineco have been working with Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad for more than 15 years to guarantee the quality and supply of all railway materials used for track assembly. A job that requires maximum rigour and, over time, has resulted in the creation of a proven methodology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":3572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[600,588,570,589],"tags":[1698,648,617,1841,1842],"coauthors":[1839,1815,1840],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3585"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3585"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3589,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3585\/revisions\/3589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3585"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}