Influence of a Decarburized Layer on the Formation of Microcracks in Railway Rails: On-site Investigation

Abstract

This study aims to understand the effect of decarburization on microcrack formation on rails by an onsite (laying) test. Test pieces with and without decarburization were compared under the same test conditions. The results show that decarburization affects the formation of microcracks and plastic flow. Furthermore, we investigated the decarburization effect on microcrack formation using test pieces taken from actual tracks. A comparison of test pieces with and without a decarburized layer showed that the crack density of rails on the unground was 2.7-5.7 times higher than that of rails ground at a cumulative tonnage of 23 MGT.