Product Code: ICA11_302

New Type of Laser Welded Wall Panel of Train Coach
Authors:
Jukka Siltanen, Rautaruukki Oyj, Harvialantie 420; Hämeenlinna Finland
Ilpo Maaranen, Rautaruukki Oyj, Telakkatie 5; Uusikaupunki Finland
Ville-Matti Nurmela, Rautaruukki Oyj, Telakkatie; Uusikaupunki Finland
Presented at ICALEO 2011

The use of laser technology is assumed to be quite common in heavy industry. However, it requires extra effort to find a success story of an industrial application based on the use of the technology. Reasons for this include confidentiality and the fact that the amount of applications is still limited. This paper presents one of the success stories, a new type of laser-welded wall panel for train coaches. The development work was done in close co-operation by Rautaruukki and the French customer Alstom Transport. The target was to reduce the weight of the train coaches, strengthen some of the critical parts of the panel and shorten the lead time of production with a more accurate and flatter wall panel. The laser-welded wall panels are made at the Rautaruukki service centre in Uusikaupunki, Finland. Steels used for panels are thermo-mechanically hot-rolled high-strength steels Optim 500 MC and Optim 700 MC with 2 mm of thicknesses. The 5 kW and 8 kW CO2-lasers are used for the cutting and the welding of the panel. The average size of the panel is 3000 x 18000 mm with a ± 0.5 mm tolerance for the main dimensions. The total length of the weld in one panel is typically more than 30 metres. The laser welding and the inspection of the welds are done according to the standards ISO 15614-11 and ISO 13919-1. The manufacturing process of the service centre is audited according to the standards ISO 3834-2 and EN 15085-2 to guarantee the quality and safety of the laser-welded wall panels.