Welding with chemistry
Thermit Welding (GB) Limited
The thermite reaction is not only a favourite with chemistry teachers but also vital to railway engineering. A company which has developed this important process operates from a site between the Rainham marsh and the banks of the Thames
The reaction
The thermite reaction is spectacular. The main starting materials are iron oxide and powdered aluminium well mixed up together. Get the mixture hot enough and a violent changes happens producing a shower of sparks and molten iron. The iron is hot enough to run out of amould and form a weld.
Welding railway lines
The Thermit Welding Company supplies the railway industry with the mixtures needed to join lengths of railway tracks. The company has developed a range of mixtures and techniques for making safe, reliable welds.
The company formulates mixtures which match the metallurgical and mechanical properties of the rails to be welded.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 15 June 2003
