Fatigue crack growth rate under mixed-mode loading conditions (I+III) of a carbide-free bainitic steel designed for rail applications

Carbide-free bainitic steel was designed for railway infrastructure application, focusing on high-speed and heavy-loaded freight tracks. Considering the complex state of stresses occurring on the rails running surface, mode III plays a significant role in the initiation and propagation of fatigue cr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Królicka, Aleksandra, Rozumek, D., Lesiuk, G., Kuziak, Roman, Radwański, Krzysztof, García Caballero, Francisca
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/370833
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/370833
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Bainite
Carbide-free bainite
Fatigue fracture
Mixed-mode fatigue
FCGR
Fractography
Rails
Descripción
Sumario:Carbide-free bainitic steel was designed for railway infrastructure application, focusing on high-speed and heavy-loaded freight tracks. Considering the complex state of stresses occurring on the rails running surface, mode III plays a significant role in the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks of rails during service. Thus, the Fatigue Crack Growth Rate (FCGR) under mixed-mode loading conditions (I+III) was evaluated. It was revealed, that fatigue lifetime increases with loading angle modes. In the area of fatigue fracture, transgranular cracking mechanisms dominated. For the stable fatigue crack growth, a trend was observed related to the decrease in the fraction of intergranular fracture with the increasing loading angle modes (α). Secondary cracks indicated privileged cracking directions related to the crystallographic structure of bainite. The influence of the mechanical stability of retained austenite during mixed-mode FCGR requires further in-depth research. These studies contribute to understanding the factors influencing the reliability of railway tracks in terms of designing new materials and modeling the rate of crack growth to precise assessment of the life cycle of rails.