Special products
Special products
Saarstahl Rail also produces other types of special rails.
Examples of these special products include:
Sogenox rails
Saarstahl Rail developed its special Sogenox rails with a stainless-steel layer on the railhead that reduces electrical contact defects in rails due to rust and thus increases safety. This special rail can be rolled into any type of profile (such as Vignoles and switches) in standard European grades. It offers several advantages when compared to resurfaced rails (excellent straightness, better profiles, lower cost, no delamination, etc.).
Bainitic rails
B360 bainitic rails, approved by SNCF for use on points and crossing noses in high-speed rail networks (new and maintenance) up to 300 MGT without contact fatigue defects and without grinding. B320 rails have exceeded 1,000 MGT in the Channel Tunnel. This grade is currently performing well at various sites where it is regularly monitored (Switzerland, Germany, and France). The bainitic B320 grade offers a good balance between wear rate and contact fatigue defects. The specific microstructure of the bainitic grade helps delay the initiation of fatigue cracks and slow their propagation, with natural rail wear contributing to elimination of emerging cracks.
Anti-corrosion rails
Corrosion remains a major issue for rail infrastructure, especially in specific operational areas such as level crossings, tunnels, and coastal tracks. To address this, Saarstahl Rail offers a wide range of anti-corrosion treatment solutions:
- Hot-dip galvanization of rails
- Anti-corrosion painting
- Metallization
Metallization provides cathodic protection for rails, enabling them to withstand highly corrosive environments. These are high-performance sacrificial coatings that can be applied to products up to 108 meters in length.
Hot-dip galvanization of rails
Galvanized rails are now used to solve very severe corrosion problems, especially in level crossings, where they have been installed since 2018 in the most sensitive areas of the SNCF network. Galvanized rails can be offered in lengths of up to 15 m.
Paints (polyurethane or epoxy)
Paints act as a barrier to limit damage in areas subjected to moderate corrosion.
The paint formulations can be adapted to client specifications.
Metallization
Metallization provides cathodic protection for rails that allows them to withstand highly corrosive environments. These are high-performance sacrificial coatings that can be applied to products up to 108 meters in length.