Abstract
The main aim of this work was a study of the microstructure transformations with the residual stress formation that is induced by rolling contact friction and adhesive wore in the wheel–rail system. Several small railsurface samples, we term them as the ‘chips’, and a piece of wheel sample were chosen for the analyses of the surface changes on the wheel–rail surface. A multitude of different experiments were carried out in order to analyse the microstructure changes at the surface and the near-surface region of the material samples and, thus, to contribute to the understanding of the complex wheel–rail rolling contact phenomena – and its degradation mechanisms. The formation of nano-structured martensite and carbides on the rail and wheel surface causes the extremely high microhardness valuees and the strong corrosion resistance of the so called White Etching Layers (WEL).
Highlights
Increased service life and reliability of rail materials and steel for manufacturing of rail wheels is a highly topical issue, considering the current trend of increasing the number and modernisation of rolling stock, and increasing axle loads and travel speeds on railroads
From this point of view, it is the reliability translated into service life and safety of individual components in the vehicle–rail system that represents one of the prime factors that affect the function of an advanced rail transportation system
The sequence of processes induced by temperature and deformation was used especially for monitoring the formation of the White Etching Layers (WEL) on the rail head, which is specified by high levels of hardness and resistance to etching of samples
Summary
Increased service life and reliability of rail materials and steel for manufacturing of rail wheels is a highly topical issue, considering the current trend of increasing the number and modernisation of rolling stock, and increasing axle loads and travel speeds on railroads Added to this is the situation of the Czech Republic ascending to the highly developed European environment, which is closely related to building high-speed railroad corridors which run across the country and represent the main transport routes among a number of European countries. In the conditions of the Czech Republic, road and rail transport continue to play the key role as they will serve the majority of transportation needs that the society will have From this point of view, it is the reliability translated into service life and safety of individual components in the vehicle–rail system that represents one of the prime factors that affect the function of an advanced rail transportation system. A systemic philosophy and theory are required for a structural description of the characteristic properties which, by means of components and relationships in the wheel–rail system, result in certain processes and state in the system of interest (Burša, Janíček 2009)
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