Affiliations: [a] Tribology and Surfaces Group, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia | [b] Grupo de Investigación Materiales Avanzados y Energía MATyER, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Medellín, Colombia
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: M. Pérez Giraldo, E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The failure analysis of a fractured wheel from a train travelling in a heavy-haul line was carried out. The microstructure of the wheel was studied by Light Optical Microscopy (LOM) and the chemical composition was analyzed by Optical Emission Spectrometry (OES). Tensile tests were performed in samples extracted from the fractured wheel to evaluate mechanical properties. The results from the material’s characterization combined with the fractographic examination and the stress analysis by finite-element modeling (FEM) allowed to conclude that the wheel failed due to fatigue originated in a heavily deformed surface layer produced by rolling contact fatigue (RCF), which was not timely removed in maintenance interventions. The main crack propagated from the surface to the rim and caused a failure known as Vertical Split Rim (VSR).
Keywords: Heavy-haul, wheel vertical split, rolling contact fatigue, finite-element modeling
