Background:
Railway wheels are subjected to arduous stresses that make them
one of the most maintenance-intensive components of a
railway. Investigation of new steels by the previous Rail CRC
indicated that these steels had superior mechanical and
metallurgical properties when compared to conventional wheel
steels, thus providing an opportunity to significantly reduce
maintenance costs and improve system reliability through the
application of a more resilient wheel material.
This project was initiated to further explore manufacturing and
operational risk components to enable commercialisation of the new
wheel steels.
Objective:
The primary objective of the project is to develop the
application of low carbon bainitic-martensitic steels to provide
superior cost effectiveness and safety for railway wheels.
The secondary objectives are alternate wheel management
practices such as the development of alternate wheel reconditioning
and condemning criteria, and associated cost benefit analysis of
all of the aforementioned.
Project scope:
The project will 1) determine full
size physical verification of residual stresses, 2) investigate the
resulting residual stress distribution via examining finite element
modelling of quenching procedures for the martensitic-bainitic
wheels and 3) investigate differences between railway wheels with
residual stress distributions achievable in the conventional
pearlitic wheel steels and those of the martensitic-bainitic wheel
steels.
Benefits:
Rollingstock
operators, track infrastructure owners and the general population
will benefit through improved risk management practices for cracked
wheels.
Expected
outcomes:
Development of the application of
low carbon bainitic-martensitic steels to provide superior cost
effectiveness and safety for railway wheels.
Project timeframe:
3 years
Project
Chair:
Tim Constable, Senior Structural Engineer, Rollingstock
Engineering, Queensland Rail
Project
Leader:
Professor Rhys Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash
University
Tel: (03) 9905 3809
Email: Rhys.jones@eng.monash.edu.au
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