Very-High-Cycle Fatigue and Charpy Impact Characteristics of Manganese Steel for Railway Axle at Low Temperatures

Abstract

Railway vehicles are being exposed with increasing frequency to conditions of severe heat and cold because of changes in the climate. Trains departing from Asia travel to Europe through the Eurasian continent and vice versa. Given these circumstances, the mechanical properties and performance of vehicle components must therefore be evaluated at lower and higher temperatures than those in current standards. In this study, specimens were produced from a commercial freight train axle made of manganese steel and subjected to high-cycle fatigue tests at −60, −30, and 20 °C. The tests were conducted using an ultrasonic fatigue tester developed to study fatigue at low temperatures. Charpy impact testing was performed over the temperature range of −60 to 60 °C to measure the impact absorption energy of the axle material. The material showed a fatigue limit above 2 million cycles at each temperature; the lower the test temperature, the greater the fatigue limit cycles. The impact absorption energy at −60 °C was 81% less compared to the value at 20 °C. The axle material became completely brittle in the temperature range of −30 to −40 °C.

Testing and Analysis of Uniaxial Mechanical Fatigue, Charpy Impact Fracture Energy and Microhardness of Two Low-Carbon Steels

“…In addition, in Ref. [ 36 ], specimens produced from a commercial freight axle made of manganese steel (ingredients: C, Si, Mn, P, S, Fe) were tested to high–cycle fatigue in temperature range (−60 °C to −30 °C) and at room temperature (20 °C), as well as for the Charpy impact test under the same temperature conditions. The stress ratio in fatigue testing was .…”

Life Prediction Method of Dissimilar Lightweight Materials Welded Joints with Precrack under Coupled Impact-Fatigue Loading

“…This means that the impacted surface has impacting damage, as well as the precrack region. This is caused by the difference of the elastic-plastic properties between the two materials to produce the complex and nonlinear stress and stain field [ 21 ]. Based on the simulated results, the impacted and the pre-cracked area are prone to have fatigue failure due to the high stress and strain caused by the impact loading.…”