Flexis System

• Flexis machine (gauge corner / transverse profile)

• corrugation machine (running surface / longitudinal profile) and the
• deburring machine

… are all rail-guided, which results in uniform longitudinal and transverse machining along the whole track section

(as per EN 13231:3-2012). Low contact pressure ensures there are no grinding marks or heat-induced changes to the material properties, and every machine can be adjusted to the track gauge required. The versatility of the system is demonstrated by the fact that it can machine every rail type and every rail profile. Across Europe, Flexis is ideal for customers from areas as diverse as state-owned high-speed lines, classical main line routes and light rail transit.

The way that rail expansion joints are constructed makes them particularly challenging for heavy rail-reprofiling machines. Milling machines cannot machine them at all and rail-bound or road-rail grinding machines are only able to machine them with difficulty. What’s more, this entails:

• complex logistical requirements such as delivery and retrieval of the vehicles, and
• a track closure for a relatively short section of track.

Customized and mobile, the operational alternatives offered by Flexis allow rail expansion joints to be machined quickly without complex logistical requirements and in full compliance with regulatory requirements.

1. Condition of rail before machining
2. Rail during machining using the Flexis System
3. Rail after being machined using the Flexis System

In keeping with the uniqueness of every switch, the team considers every area of a switch as a distinct entity and machines every component according to the requirements of that component. The cup wheels on the machines are adjusted to the right position in order to be able to machine the entire rail head from the running surface to the gauge corner until the desired geometry is achieved.

The number of machines and operators the Flexis System will require can be adjusted and planned out in advance to suit the scope of the work commissioned. Larger teams are often requested for the preparatory machining of new switches, or when switches with radii in excess of 1,200 m need maintenance. On average, it takes around three hours to machine a new switch with a radius of 300 m. Increasing the number of operators in the team can reduce the time needed to machine a switch by as much as 40%.

As manual grinding using Flexis would then be reduced to a minimum, combining the Flexis System with a milling truck can considerably shorten the machining time for switches requiring more than 0.5 mm of metal to be removed. This method allows several switches and the various rail lengths connected to them to be machined in one shift.

Minimal costs associated with operational complications and simple logistics make Flexis the perfect complement to heavy rail-reprofiling machines, which focus on achieving high output. Sharing the work with larger machines pays off on shorter track sections where Flexis can level out the transition points to switches and insulated joints. On the other hand, there are also situations where using large machines to reprofile the track is either impossible or uneconomical. Single-slip and double-slip switches and crossings, for example, are difficult to machine because of the nature of their design. “Real craftsmanship” is also the order of the day when machining common crossings with lower points or elevated wing rails, and the same applies to rail expansion joints.

Thanks to its versatility and mobility, Flexis is up to the challenge of reconditioning these components as per regulatory requirements – and all without any logistical expenditure at all.