Modelling of cyclic plasticity and phase transformations during repeated local heating events in rail and wheel steels

Paper in proceeding, 2018

Short term local friction heating in railway operation might occur when a railway wheelset skids along the rail. The consequent temperature elevation is significant and in the pearlitic rail and wheel steels results in phase transformations. The temperature dependent differences in thermal expansion, density and mechanical properties of the phases result in residual stresses which can cause thermal damage in rail and wheel steels.

This study is an improvement of Finite Element (FE) modelling incorporating phase transformation kinetics law describing transformation and evolution of volume fraction of phases. The FE modelling has included coupled thermal and mechanical analysis to compute residual stresses near the wheel-rail contact.