Hite Etching Layer News Today

The formation mechanism of the white etching layer (WEL) on the rail steel material has been confirmed via two different routes; thermal-induced WEL by phase transformation and mechanical-induced WEL by severe plastic deformation. In this study, a combination of thermal and mechanical processes was performed to examine the synergistic interaction of two formation mechanisms of the WEL on rails. An experiment was conducted on the rail steel material using a Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulation sy...

The formation mechanism of the white etching layer (WEL) on the rail steel material has been confirmed via two different routes; thermal-induced WEL by phase transformation and mechanical-induced WEL by severe plastic deformation. In this study, a combination of thermal and mechanical processes was performed to examine the synergistic interaction of two formation mechanisms of the WEL on rails. An experiment was conducted on the rail steel material using a Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulation sy...

The presence of hard and brittle thin White Etching Layers (WELs) on rail surfaces plays a critical role in varying the tribology behaviors at the wheel and rail interface. The reciprocating sliding tests at room temperature and 600°C were carried out for two types of WELs, including thermomechanically-induced WEL (TP-WEL) and mechanically-induced WEL (SD-WEL). A normal rail sample was also employed for the comparison. The wear mechanism of WEL-free rail shifts from abrasive wear at room temper...

A thermo-mechanical-phase transformation FEM was developed to quantitatively predict the formation process of thermally-induced white etching layer (WEL) at rail surface. A practical scenario of multiple wheel passages with two locomotives was introduced for a single train, and the evolution of martensitic WEL and the residual stress during ten train passages was reported. The results indicate that an effective heating period during wheel passage is a critical factor to influence WEL formation. ...