Consequently, the rail does not cool down uniformly over the entire cross-section. The rail foot and the rail web cool down first. As the largest proportion of material is in the rail head, it cools down far more slowly. The natural consequence is a negative bending of the rail in the area of the welded joint.
This result would have very negative effects on the track geometry and the operational safety. For this reason, a slight upward inclination of the two rail ends is performed, adapted to the respective rail profile, so that an ideal geometry of the rail is achieved when the weld has cooled down.
