RTRI REPORT Sep. 2005
PAPERS

Analyses of White Etching Layer Generated on Rail Surface

Ying JIN,  Makoto ISHIDA


  White etching layer has been often formed on rail surface due to wheel sliding on rail or large longitudinal creepage between wheel and rail. The main cause of forming white etching layer is friction heat which transforms pearlitic steel to martensitic steel. It has been reported that rail surface shellings called squats in Britain as one of typical rolling contact fatigue failures, has been generated on the white etching layer of rail surface. However, the detailed investigation and/or analysis of the white etching layers related to the generation of rail surface shellings has not been carried out so far. In this study, Vickers hardness, residual stress and thickness of white etching layer were measured, and the relationships among those parameters were studied. The mechanism of the generation of white etching layer was also discussed.


* Full papers of RTRI Report are written in Japanese.

Copyright (c) 2005 Railway Technical Research Institute