How can new eco-friendly and high-performance rail steels be successfully joined for the European railways of tomorrow? Goldschmidt company Elektro-Thermit is tackling this important question as a member in the GreenSteel4Rails project in close cooperation with its team members – leading research and industry organisations.

From left to right: Development & Application Technology team from Elektro-Thermit, comprising Dr. Jörg Keichel, project lead Daniel Liebenthal and Christof Gaßmann

Goldschmidt’s Thermit® specialist Elektro-Thermit is playing an active role in the EU co-funded GreenSteel4Rails research project. The project’s central task is to develop and demonstrate advanced, recyclable rail steel grades with lower CO₂ emissions, focusing on the application and real-world demonstration of a new generation of Fe-based alloys for freight tracks, produced in environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces.

GreenSteel4Rails brings together 11 partners from industry and academia across five European countries. With a project budget of around 11 million euros and a duration of 4.5 years, until July 2030, the initiative responds directly to the EU’s strategic directions for climate-neutral mobility and greater material circularity.

Elektro-Thermit, based in Halle, Germany, operates the world’s largest and most advanced Thermit® production facility, developing and manufacturing Thermit® welding processes and innovative equipment for around 50 countries worldwide.

Putting Next-Generation Rail Steels to the Test

Within GreenSteel4Rails, the Development & Application Technology team from Elektro-Thermit, comprising project lead Daniel Liebenthal, Christof Gaßmann, and Dr. Jörg Keichel, is responsible for validating the aluminothermic weldability of the newly developed rail steel grades.

This includes verifying weld metal in line with current railway standards (such as ISO 23300-2 and EN 14730-1), as well as working closely with research institutes to support scientific investigations and analyse Thermit® weld characteristics under the specific conditions presented by these innovative alloys.

To enable the efficient and reliable testing of rail weld joints for the project, the team ensures the provision of state-of-the-art testing facilities, allowing the comprehensive documentation and performance validation required for next-generation rail steels.

Through its involvement in GreenSteel4Rails, Goldschmidt is supporting the transition to sustainable, future-oriented rail networks and helping ensure that advanced materials and rail joining go hand-in-hand.

This article was originally published by Goldschmidt.

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