This paper describes cooperative testing between a major railroad and a thermite weld charge producer in order to validate the use of wide gap thermite welds for repair of selected rail defects. Three rail defects were found in track by defect detection contractors and the rail sections were removed and hand tested with ultrasonic equipment to pinpoint the defect location. Two transverse defects, one "small" with shell component and one "large" with no shell component, along with a defective plant weld, were selected. Each defect was then cut out and test wide gap repair welds were made out of track. The three rails with wide gap welds were slow bend tested in order to determine mechanical properties and to see if any defect remained. A mean deflection of 0.75 inches and a mean modulus of rupture of 113.1 ksi was noted. No defects were seen on any of the fracture surfaces and the wide gap weld therefore was successful in repairing the selected rail defects. The implications of the results on rail testing performance and other related issues are discussed.
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