Submerged melt welding process and apparatus

Claim 1

METHOD OF WELDING A BUTT-JOINT BETWEEN SPACED OPPOSING RAIL-END SHAPED FACES OF ELONGATED STEEL MEMBERS TO BE WELDED, WHICH RAIL-END SHAPED FACES HAVE OPPOSING SURFACE AREAS CORRESPONDDING TO THE BALL, WEB AND FLANGES OF RAILROAD RAILS, WHICH COMPRISES: CLOSING THE SPACE BETWEEN SUCH FACES AT THE BOTTOM OF SUCH SPACE WITH ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL; POSITIONING A CONSUMABLE METAL ELECTRODE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY IN SUCH SPACE WITH THE LOWER END THEREOF IN CONTACT WITH SUCH MATERIAL; ADDING GRANULAR SUBMERGED-MELT WELDING COMPOSITION IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE STARTING AREA IN THE BOTTOM OF SUCH SPACE LOCATING WALL MOLDS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MEMBERS ADJACENT SUCH SPACE, HAVING INNER SURFACE PORTIONS COMPOSED OF ELETRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER IN MELTING TEMPERATURE THAN THAT OF THE SUBMERGED-MELT WELDING COMPOSITION; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC WELDING CURRENT TO SUCH ELECTRODE AND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AT THE BOTTOM OF SUCH SPACE TO MELT SUCH GRANULAR COMPOSITION AND ADJACENT METAL OF SUCH FACES; AND CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SUCH ELECTRODE DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE RESULTING MELT UNTIL SUCH SPACE IS FILLED WITH MELD WELDING COMPOSITON, THEREBY FUSION WELDING MELT WELDING COMPOSITION, THEREBY FUSION WELDING SUCH PARTS TOGETHER; SAID ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVITY INNER SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALL MOLDS ACTING TO LATERALLY CONFINE THE HEAT OF THE MOLTEN COMPOSITION AND WELD METAL AS THE OPERATION PROGRESSES, THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MOLTEN WELDING COM-; POSITION AND, IN TURN, THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY THEREOF, CAUSING THE END OF THE ELECTRODE TO BE PROGRESSIVELY METLTED IN THE MOLTEN SUBMERGED-MELT WELDING COMPOSITION BEFORE IT REACHES THE MOLTEN WELD METAL.