Shakedown limit of rail surfaces including material hardening and thermal stresses

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sliding friction between railway wheels and rails results in elevated contact temperatures and gives rise to severe thermal stresses at the wheel and rail surfaces. The thermal stresses have to be superimposed on the mechanical contact stresses. Due to the distribution of stresses, the rail surface is generally subjected to higher stresses than the wheel surface. The elastic limit is reduced and yield begins at lower mechanical loads. During the first cycles of plastic deformation, the material hardens and residual stresses build up. The residual stresses provide the structure to shake down to pure elastic behaviour in subsequent load cycles up to a shakedown limit. The kind of hardening observed for rail steel has a considerable influence on the shakedown limit. The shakedown limit is dropped to lower mechanical loads due to the thermal stresses in the rail surface as well. This might cause structural changes in the rail material and rail damage.