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Squats, observed in numerous railway networks worldwide, are a significant concern for rail track maintenance. This work presents a specific case study of a rail fracture failure associated with squat defects. A detailed microstructural analysis was conducted to investigate the causes of squat formation, subsequent crack propagation, transverse defects, and fracture. According to the findings, the initiation of squats can be attributed to the presence of White Etching Layers on the rail surface and rolling contact fatigue. After the initiation of Squats, the cracks extended downwards into the ...

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 temperature to adhesive wear and oxide wear at 600°C. The oxidized-WELs contribute to the wear performanc...

The thin White Etching Layers (WELs) commonly exist on the surfaces of different rail grades in railway networks worldwide. Although the formation of WELs has been the subject of interest for a few decades, precise conclusions on their formation mechanisms are still in argument. Two popular hypotheses for WEL formation have been proposed concerning thermomechanically/thermally-induced and mechanically-induced WELs, respectively. Each type of WELs was formed in different operating conditions and had different microstructure, hardness, composition, and WEL/pearlite interface features. The invest...

White etching layers (WELs) on rail surfaces play a crucial role in dictating rail life and guaranteeing safety during transport. It has been reported that the presences of WELs correlate with wheel-rail tribological properties and rail defects, including squats and studs. It is impossible to directly measure fracture mechanisms in WELs when rails are in service because they are subject to numerous wheel passage cycles, and WELs are routinely spalled due to dynamic impact throughout their lifetime. Consequently, samples containing mechanically and thermomechanically-induced WELs, as well as WE...