On December 4th, after 220 minutes of intense and uninterrupted work, turnout flash-butt welder independently developed by Aigre helped the New Track-laying Company of China Railway First Group to complete the turnout joint welding using the flash butt welding construction technique for the first time in the Chongqing-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway Project. It took 5 days to complete all the joint weldings of one set of No.12 and No.18 turnouts respectively and pass the acceptance inspection, thus accumulating valuable experience for the railway track construction field. This brand-new technological breakthrough has elevated the railway track welding technology to a new level, improved the quality and efficiency of turnout laying, and injected strong impetus into the safety and development of railway transportation.

The Chongqing-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway Project is located within the territory of Chongqing City. It starts from Chongqing East Station of the Chongqing hub, passes through Nan'an District, Banan District, Fuling District, Fengdu County, Zhong County of Chongqing City and finally connects to Wanzhou North Station in Wanzhou District. The New Track-laying Company of China Railway First Group undertakes the laying of 501.78 kilometers of ballastless track, 29.89 kilometers of ballasted track, the laying of 96 turnouts, the ballast laying of 107,200 cubic meters and the production of 773,000 sleepers. It is estimated that 1,080 turnout welded joints need to be completed by flash butt welding and 464 glued insulations need to be done for the whole line.

According to Chen Fujun, the project leader of China Railway First Group, in the past, turnout welding usually adopted aluminothermic welding. After welding, the hardness of the joint could only reach 50% of the strength of the base metal, and the welding quality was not easy to control. However, when using the flash butt welding technique, the strength of the rail joint can reach over 90% of that of the base metal, which greatly improves the joint quality and stability and significantly reduces the later maintenance costs and risks.

The turnout flash-butt welder developed by Aigre this time has successfully solved the problems that large welding rail equipment cannot be "placed" or "clamped" properly in turnout special-shaped rails. Meanwhile, it has realized the precise control of turnout geometric dimensions. It has the advantages of fast welding speed, high joint strength, stable welding process with a high degree of automation, even and concentrated heat, and a narrow softened zone of the welding joint. It can not only greatly improve the turnout welding quality, thus ensuring the stability of train operation, but also extend the service life of turnouts, reduce the maintenance frequency and costs.

Currently, the turnout flash-butt welder developed by Aigre this time has been successfully applied in the reconstruction construction of existing lines of important national trunk lines and high-speed railway lines, such as the Xichang Industry and Electricity Section of the Chengdu Railway Bureau and the Chongqing-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway Project of China Railway First Group. The one-time acceptance pass rate of all welded joints has reached 100%, winning unanimous praise from users. The application and promotion of the turnout flash-butt welder can provide new solutions for China's railway turnout construction, effectively improve the overall quality of China's railway lines from the source of construction, reduce the operation and maintenance safety risks and comprehensive costs, and inject new vitality into the development of China's railway cause.