South Bend, IN, 2026 – Technology experts at Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI) along with engineers and researchers at the University of Notre Dame (ND) have been awarded a $4.6 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This grant is part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program through the FRA. Over the next three years, MTI and Notre Dame will leverage MTI’s Low Force Friction Welding technology to develop and demonstrate a new joining method for continuous welded rail (CWR).
MTI’s President and CEO, Daniel Adams, a ’95 Notre Dame alumnus, and Simon Jones, MTI’s Director of Aerospace and Low Force Business Development, are collaborating with University of Notre Dame professors Robert Landers and Edward Kinzel to lead the project. Landers serves as the Advanced Manufacturing Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, while Kinzel is the Viola D. Hank Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, both in the College of Engineering.
“MTI has spent decades advancing friction welding technologies for some of the world’s most demanding applications,” says Adams. “Now, we’re applying that experience to the rail industry through Low Force Friction Welding. Together, we’re working to demonstrate a practical path forward for the next generation of rail welding by reducing the force, energy, and equipment footprint required to produce high-integrity rail joints.”
CWR has become the industry standard for both freight and passenger rail because it improves ride quality, reduces wear associated with mechanical joints, and enhances overall track performance. The project seeks to develop an improved joining method that can further extend rail service life while reducing maintenance demands.
For decades, railroad companies have been welding 80-foot rails to form CWRs that span from 400 feet to several miles with thermite and flash-butt welding. While widely used, both techniques rely on localized melting at the joint, causing wide heat-affected zones (HAZ) and low hardness that fracture the joint. This wear on the steel rails eventually requires costly repairs and maintenance. Friction Welding, however, is a solid-state forging process that never melts the materials being joined. The materials reach a plasticized state under relative motion and high pressure, resulting in a solid-state butt joint that avoids many of the metallurgical challenges associated with melting and resolidification.
“As a fifth-generation railroader, I know firsthand the challenges of installing new rail and the immense benefits of making that process more efficient,” said Federal Railroad Administrator David Fink. “After years of delay, Secretary Sean Duffy made it a priority under his leadership to ensure USDOT delivered these critical dollars to big projects like this one. Thanks to his leadership, the University of Notre Dame and Manufacturing Technology, Inc. have the resources they need to develop an innovative next-generation track welding process.”
Linear Friction Welding is the specific process variant being developed with Low Force for long rail. MTI is a global leader in Friction Welding technology and the only manufacturer in the world to specialize in all varieties, including Linear and Low Force Friction Welding. This approach combines principles proven in aerospace blisk (bladed disk) manufacturing with MTI’s Low Force Friction Welding technology, which uses an external heating source to reduce the process forces and energy required to produce high-quality rail welds. This technology has the potential to dramatically reduce maintenance costs for the nation’s railway infrastructure and bring a better rail joining solution to the industry as a whole.
By combining MTI’s technology expertise with Notre Dame’s material and mechanical engineering research capabilities, the collaboration aims to create and demonstrate a superior joining method for 136-pound AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) rail through Low Force Friction Welding.
“This homegrown partnership between Notre Dame and MTI is a perfect example of how innovative ideas and new processes – developed right here in South Bend – have the potential to make an impact that benefits our whole country, and beyond. By bringing together experts from across the academy and industry, we have the opportunity to improve safety and address economic issues associated with the railroads across the US,” said Landers.
This project is expected to span three years, with the potential for an additional two years dedicated to testing full-sized parts at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Colorado. This process will give MTI and UND researchers and engineers feedback on improvements in the tooling and techniques to join rails, and ultimately, approval on a new approach to rail joining.
Steel Dynamics, a steel producer based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is partnering with MTI and UND, as well as Pandrol, based in Napoleon, Ohio, which supplies rail fastenings, track equipment, and creates and supplies railway infrastructure products.
This article is adapted from an original story published by Notre Dame Research and is republished with permission from the author, Christina Clark.
About MTI
MTI has established itself as a leader in Friction Welding technologies including Rotary, Linear, Friction Stir, and Low Force Friction Welding. In addition to contract manufacturing services based in the U.S., U.K., and India, MTI has delivered machines to Boeing, GE, Dana, Pratt and Whitney, Federal Mogul, and many of their tier 1 suppliers. A family-owned business founded in 1926, MTI employs over 200 people across the world.
Contact:
Simon Jones
MTI Director of Aerospace and Low Force Business Development
About Notre Dame Research
The University of Notre Dame is a leading global Catholic research university located in South Bend, Indiana (USA). Inspired by its Catholic mission and founder Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.’s vision for the University to be “one of the most powerful means for doing good” in the world, Notre Dame’s faculty and students pursue globally significant research, scholarship, and creative endeavor that advances discovery, fosters innovation, and drives lasting positive impact.
Contact:
Christina Clark
Program Director, Research Communications Shared Services