We are an A2LA and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory specializing in railway industry testing and failure analysis. Our capabilities include:
- Raw material validation
- Production issue solutions
- Finished and semi-finished good assessment
- Product failure analysis
- High-end metallurgical engineering services
With more than three decades of experience working with materials utilized for railway equipment applications, SGS MSi engineers, scientists, and technicians are exceptionally qualified to test, analyze and certify material for your project. Examinations we perform include:
- Jominy
- Microcleanliness
- E45 inclusion rating
- Charpy impact
- Hardness
- Microhardness
- Tensile
- Decarburization
- Bend
- Chemical analysis
- Corrosion
- Coating weight
- Grain size
- Case depth
- Free ferrite
- Plating thickness
- Sulfur print
- Surface roughness
- Macro etch
- Grain flow
Our highly trained and experienced team can assess specimens in accordance with American Railway Engineering, Maintenance-of-Way Association and Association of American Railroads and ASTM International standards. Also, we can determine whether a material will surpass any other industry specification or customer-specific requirement. Railway application specimens are commonly tested against the following standards:
- All AREMA
- ASTM E1245
- ASTM A1
- ASTM A504
- AAR M-201
- AAR M-107
- AAR M-208
- AAR M-101
- AAR M-210
- AAR M-211
Material destined for use on railway applications that we regularly analyze includes steel castings, forged steel, ductile iron, gray cast iron, austempered ductile iron, and rail steel. Manufacturers fabricate them into an assortment of passenger and freight train components, which include:
- Side frames
- Friction wedges
- Frame braces
- Wheels
- Rails
- Knuckles
- Yokes
- Couplers
- Side bearings
- Adapters
- Axles
- Springs
- Butt-welded rails
- Thermite-welded rails
The equipment at our laboratories in the United States of America and Canada are calibrated regularly to ensure accuracy. Calibration records are available upon request.
We provide a detailed report listing test type, parameters, and results obtained when analyzing materials. The language we use is clear and easy to understand. All failure analysis reports and investigations are presented with a summary conclusion of our findings, any criterion supporting those results and, if appropriate, insights into possible failure avoidance.
Ensure materials are suitable for their intended use with reliable testing and certification services from SGS MSi. With an unwavering commitment to quality, we’re your materials testing provider.
Contact us to learn more about our rail-specific services.