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Challenges in ensuring the quality of welded railway vehicles and components
Abstract
During the production of welded railway vehicles and their components, standards such as EN 15085 are mandatory. Supplementary requirements, including those from the International Union of Railways (UIC), may also apply. "Quality assurance" in welding entails defined procedures to ensure product reliability. These conditions pose challenges, particularly in welding technology and personnel requirements. Crucial to this is the welding coordination staff, responsible for defining processes, reviewing product requirements, and overseeing implementation and control. Welding contractors must employ coordinators with relevant expertise aligned with EN ISO 14731 standards. Manufacturers must ensure qualified welders per EN ISO 9606-1 or operators per EN ISO 14732, depending on the product and welding process used. Using quality assurance in welding for brake triangles as an example, all requirements applicable to welding of railway components were examined for one manufacturer.
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