Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3 (QUATEST 3) is continuously strengthening its specialized testing capabilities for the railway sector, providing comprehensive technical solutions for the assessment of rail welding procedures used in metro and high-speed railway projects.
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On modern railway systems, rail sections are welded together to form continuous welded rails. The quality of each welded joint is therefore critical to maintaining the mechanical integrity, durability and operational reliability of the railway infrastructure. efore a welding procedure is applied in production or construction, test welds need to be inspected and tested to demonstrate compliance with applicable standards and project-specific technical requirements.
Rail sections extending tens of meters are welded together to form continuous welded rails
QUATEST 3 provides a range of testing capabilities to support this assessment, including Visual Testing (VT), Magnetic Particle Testing (MT), Ultrasonic Testing (UT), mechanical and bending testing, metallographic examination, hardness measurement and fatigue testing.
The Center is equipped with mechanical testing systems with a capacity of up to 2,000 kN and a 300 kN servo-hydraulic fatigue testing system, enabling fatigue assessment under repeated loading of up to 5 million cycles. Strain gauges and data acquisition systems are also used to determine the relationship between applied loads and stresses in rail specimens.
QUATEST 3's testing capabilities support the assessment of major rail welding technologies, including Flash Butt Welding and Aluminothermic Welding, in accordance with applicable technical requirements and standards such as EN 14587 and EN 14730.
QUATEST 3 engineers perform ultrasonic testing to detect defects at the manufacturing facility for Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).
Metallographic examination and hardness measurement further enable the assessment of the weld metal, Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and changes in material properties resulting from the welding process.
The testing program, applicable standards and number of specimens can be tailored to the welding technology, rail type, steel grade, project specifications and requirements of the project owner.
The testing program, applicable standards and number of specimens can be tailored to the welding technology, rail type, steel grade, project specifications and requirements of the project owner.
The hardness distribution profile enables engineers to assess changes in material properties from the parent rail through the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) to the welded joint.
QUATEST 3 is supported by qualified Level 2 and Level 3 NDT personnel trained in accordance with ISO 9712 and ASNT, together with experienced welding inspection personnel with professional qualifications from organizations including TWI and AWS.
The Center's mechanical testing and NDT capabilities are also covered under its VILAS 004 accreditation scope.
Beyond laboratory testing, QUATEST 3 has practical experience in railway projects, including non-destructive testing at manufacturing facilities and ultrasonic inspection on site for Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1.
QUATEST 3 engineers perform ultrasonic and magnetic particle testing on site for Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).
The Center also provides testing capabilities for other railway infrastructure components, including concrete, reinforcing steel, prestressing steel and prestressed concrete sleepers.
As Viet Nam advances the development of metro, national railway and high-speed railway infrastructure, reliable testing and technical assessment capabilities play an increasingly important role in quality assurance and technology adoption.
With its integrated testing capabilities and technical expertise, QUATEST 3 is ready to provide testing services supporting rail welding procedure approval in accordance with applicable standards and project-specific requirements.
QUATEST 3's 300 kN rail weld fatigue testing system with strain gauge measurement setup.
Vickers hardness testing equipment used to assess hardness variations in the welded joint and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ).
Optical microscope with magnification of up to 1000×, used to evaluate the microstructure of welded joints.
QUATEST 3's on-site bending testing equipment for prestressed concrete sleepers.
The Center looks forward to working with project owners, contractors, manufacturers and technology providers to support the quality, reliability and safety of railway infrastructure in Viet Nam.
QUATEST 3, Supporting Quality, Reliability and Safety in Viet Nam's Railway Infrastructure.
QUATEST 3, Supporting Quality, Reliability and Safety in Viet Nam's Railway Infrastructure.
QUATEST 3
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