With EWI, you’ll reduce cost, increase reliability, and enhance safety.
EWI works across the railroad industry as well as with Federal agencies identifying and applying materials and technologies that extend the service life of critical components, improve inspection techniques, develop effective and efficient repair technologies, enable new designs, and streamline manufacturing.
Our engineers have more than 30 years of experience working with rail steel producers, Class 1 railroads, and manufacturers of rolling stock, special trackwork, and components. From the US Department of Transportation to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, EWI brings world-class manufacturing technologies and materials expertise to all operators in the rail industry.
Areas of specialization include:
- Materials engineering
- Nondestructive evaluation (NDE)
- Welding and joining
- Modeling and simulation
- Additive manufacturing
- Structural integrity
Identify.
Develop.
Implement.
WE MANUFACTURE INNOVATION.
From rolling stock to rail welding and inspection, EWI applies advanced technologies and engineering creativity to help clients turn their concepts into new products and services.
Innovation That Drives Industry
We continue to push the envelope on applied innovation, helping manufacturers meet rising demand for stronger, lighter materials; increased safety; higher productivity; and reduced costs through innovative manufacturing technologies.
Putting EWI’s Innovative Frog-repair Solution to the Test
EWI recently developed an automated flux cored arc welding (FCAW) repair process, repaired a damaged frog using this process, and sent it to the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, CO to undergo simulated in-service testing. The performance of the repaired frog in TTCI’s test track far exceeded expectations. The success of this program led to an Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored Phase II project with the goal of developing improved welding consumables, increasing overall productivity, and performing real-world testing in a heavy-haul line.
While the full results of this real-world test remain to be seen, this innovative approach to extending the life of the railroad industry’s most expensive track components has generated significant interest.
Learn more about EWI’s innovative railroad frog-repair solution.
SEPTA Train Welding Verification
In the past few years, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Regional Rail system experienced structural fatigue problems with railcars forcing them to remove existing fleets from service for repairs. Avoiding such problems in the future has become a SEPTA priority. SNC-Lavalin, a global professional services and project management company, is providing car design, production, and testing support for the procurement of 45 multi-level coaches and cab cars and electric locomotives to be operated by SEPTA. Because the previous railcar problems were rooted in poor weld design and execution, SNC-Lavalin contacted EWI to draw on our expertise in welding processes, fatigue life of weldments, and nondestructive evaluation.
Meeting the Challenges of Heavy Manufacturing
With rising demand for stronger and lighter materials, higher productivity, increased safety, and reduced costs, the railroad industry must constantly seek innovative and effective solutions that overcome any difficulties that inevitably arise when striving to meet these needs. Our recently published series, Challenges in Heavy Manufacturing, takes a look at three specific areas of concern for heavy manufacturers: weld distortion, flexible manufacturing, and fatigue performance.