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T. Bai^1,2, K. Wang³, J. Xu^1,2 and P. Wang^1,2

¹MOE Key Laboratory of High-speed Railway Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
²School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
³College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore

doi:10.4203/ccc.15.22.1

T. Bai, K. Wang, J. Xu, P. Wang, "Enhancement of Rail Wear Resistance and Fatigue Toughness through Discrete Surface Quenching and Low-Temperature Ageing", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 22.1, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.22.1

Keywords: rail, discrete quenching, low-temperature ageing, gradient hardening, wear resistance, fatigue toughness.

Abstract

This paper proposes a rail surface heat treatment method to mitigate wear and fatigue damage. Discrete quenching is first applied to the rail surface using a high-energy plasma beam, producing a high-hardness hardened layer. Subsequently, ageing treatment is carried out at 270 °C to achieve a smooth hardness transition between the hardened layer and the rail substrate. Microscopic observations show that, after quenching, the microstructure within the hardened layer consists of high-strength and high-hardness acicular martensite, with a hardness reaching 2.3 times that of the pearlitic substrate. After low-temperature ageing, carbide precipitation occurs within the martensite, and the microstructure transforms into tempered martensite. Combined electron backscatter diffraction analysis indicates that, after ageing treatment, lattice distortion and dislocation density at the boundary of the hardened layer decrease, thereby improving the deformation compatibility between the hardened layer and the substrate. Twin-disc wheel-rail test results show that rail wear is reduced by more than 50% after quenching. Meanwhile, the ageing treatment effectively prevents severe fatigue cracking in quenched rails. After the heat treatment, both wear and fatigue crack damage of the rail are alleviated, significantly extending the service life of the rail.

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Front Page Browse CCC CCP CSETS CTR IJRT Other Authors Search Purchase Guide FAQ Contact us	Civil-Comp Conferences ISSN 2753-3239 CCC: 15 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE Edited by: J. Pombo Paper 22.1 Enhancement of Rail Wear Resistance and Fatigue Toughness through Discrete Surface Quenching and Low-Temperature Ageing T. Bai^1,2, K. Wang³, J. Xu^1,2 and P. Wang^1,2 ¹MOE Key Laboratory of High-speed Railway Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China ²School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China ³College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore doi:10.4203/ccc.15.22.1 Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper T. Bai, K. Wang, J. Xu, P. Wang, "Enhancement of Rail Wear Resistance and Fatigue Toughness through Discrete Surface Quenching and Low-Temperature Ageing", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 22.1, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.22.1 Keywords: rail, discrete quenching, low-temperature ageing, gradient hardening, wear resistance, fatigue toughness. Abstract This paper proposes a rail surface heat treatment method to mitigate wear and fatigue damage. Discrete quenching is first applied to the rail surface using a high-energy plasma beam, producing a high-hardness hardened layer. Subsequently, ageing treatment is carried out at 270 °C to achieve a smooth hardness transition between the hardened layer and the rail substrate. Microscopic observations show that, after quenching, the microstructure within the hardened layer consists of high-strength and high-hardness acicular martensite, with a hardness reaching 2.3 times that of the pearlitic substrate. After low-temperature ageing, carbide precipitation occurs within the martensite, and the microstructure transforms into tempered martensite. Combined electron backscatter diffraction analysis indicates that, after ageing treatment, lattice distortion and dislocation density at the boundary of the hardened layer decrease, thereby improving the deformation compatibility between the hardened layer and the substrate. Twin-disc wheel-rail test results show that rail wear is reduced by more than 50% after quenching. Meanwhile, the ageing treatment effectively prevents severe fatigue cracking in quenched rails. After the heat treatment, both wear and fatigue crack damage of the rail are alleviated, significantly extending the service life of the rail. download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 10 pages, 1033 Kb) go to the previous paper go to the next paper return to the table of contents return to the volume description
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