Fracture Analysis and Material Improvement of Brake Discs

抄録

Using a steel material for forging, development of new discs for the next Shinkansen had been started. However, a fracture in a forged disc occurred in a durability test. Subsequently, from the viewpoint of higher fracture toughness, material improvement to an extent sufficient to withstand such a fracture due to tensile residual stress accumulation became the goal of further development. Among the candidate materials, modified AISI 4330 was selected and evaluated in laboratory and field tests. Following the subsequent durability test in the field, modification for bolt sticking and forging formability was conducted. This new brake disc, which proved to be satisfactory for Shinkansen vehicles, is capable of running at high speeds of more than 270km/h and therefore suitable for current vehicles such as the Nozomi and Tsubasa.