DETECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE ON RAILWAY STEEL RAILS
Abstract
Steel rail has been at the heart of rail transportation systems for nearly a hundred years. With the rapid development of railway transportation, the steel rail operates in high-speed and heavy-duty operating environment. Steel rail is prone to damages; thus, frequent inspection and maintenance is required to prolong its lifespan. Failing to conduct proper periodical inspection and maintenance could lead to accidents, causing injuries and fatality, high repair cost and loss of public confidence. The aim of this study is the detection of common defects on steel rails and the ways of controlling them. The methodology adopted was visual inspection of the steel rails within the premises of Ajaokuta steel company limited, by taking photographs, measuring the defects and suggesting how these defects could be corrected. The study found the following rolling contact fatigue (RCF) defects on the steel rails; Corner gauge shelling, Spalling, Longitudinal vertical cracks, Squats, Corrugation, and Flaking, initiated by the high shear stresses that often develop at the wheel/rail contact region, when such stresses exceed the allowable limits for the rail material, coupled with heavier axle loads, leading to failures of railway components, consequently contributing to economic burden and the safe operation of railway transport, globally. These defects can be controlled by improving the rail profiles, improving the wheel profiles, improving rail grinding and wheel re-truing machining, improving the track geometry, friction management , improving rail and rail metallurgies and improving suspension bogies. The study concludes that periodical inspection and maintenance of the steel rails will prolong the lifespan and reduce the overall costs of maintenance.
KEYWORDS: Causes of the defects, Detection of the defects, Effects of the defects, Maintenance strategies, Regular maintenance, and Visual inspection.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Akersten, P. A. and Espling, U. (2005).Postponed Replacement - A Risk Analysis Case Study, Proceedings of the International Conference of Maintenance Society in Hobart Australia.
Cacciabue, P.C. (2005).Human error risk management methodology for safety audit of a large railway organization, Applied Ergonomics, Volume 36, Issue 6, pp. 709-718.
Cannon, D. F., Edel, K.O., Grassie, S. L. and Sawley, K. (2003). Rail defects: an overview, Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures, Volume 26, pp. 865-886.
Chattopadhyay, G., Reddy, V. and Larsson-Kråik, P. O. (2005).Decision on economical rail grinding interval for controlling rolling contact fatigue, International Transactions in Operational Research, Volume 12, Issue 6, pp. 545-558.
Esveld, C. (2001). Modern railway track, Delft: MRT-Productions, 2001, 2nd edition, Germany.
Ernest, T. S. and John, M. W. (1994). Track Geometry and Substructure Management, Thomas Telfold.
Guiyun T, Bin G, Yunlai G and Ping W (2016). Review of railway rail defect non-destructive testing and monitoring Chinese Journal of Scientific Instrument 37 1763-1780
IHHA (2001). Guidelines to best practices for heavy haul railway operations: wheel and rail interface issues, International Heavy Haul Association, Virginia, USA.
International Union of Railways, UIC Code 725 (2007). Treatment of rail defects, 1st edition.
International Union of Railways, UIC Code 712 (2002).Rail Defects, 4th edition.
lzbinsky G. (1998). Detection and Rehabilitation of Bad Acting Trucks with Angle of Attack Inspection Station, Advanced Rail Management Wheel/Rail Seminar, Chicago.
Kalousek J.(1986). Wear and Contact Fatigue Model for Railway Rail, NRC report TR-WE-50.
Larsson, P.O., Kumar, U. and Chattopadhyay, G. (2005).Study of NDT Rail Inspection on Malmbanan, Internal Research report 2005, Banverket, JvtC, Sweden.
Magel E., Kalousek J. (2004). The Influence of Creep Forces on Surface Fatigue of Wheels, 14'h International Wheelset Congress.
Magel E., Kalousek J. (2002). The Application of Contact Mechanics to Rail Profile Design and Rail Grinding, Wear 253, 308-316.
Martin, J. and Fernández, J. (2022). The effects of technological improvements in the train network on tourism sustainability an approach focused on seasonality Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship 1 101-105
Meyler, D., Sroba P., and Magel, E. (2001). Reducing Operating Costs Through Improved Wheel Performance, International Wheelset Congress, Rome.
NRC-Canada with Manchester Met. University, RSSB 1067 (2004). Study to Develop an Anti-RCF Wheel Profile, report submitted to UK Rail Safety and Standards Board.
Podofillini, L., Zio, E. and Vatn, J. (2006). Risk-informed optimization of railway tracks inspection and maintenance procedures, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, Volume 91, Issue 1, pp. 20-35.
Scales B.T. (1996). Review of Freight Car Bogie Design and Performance, IHHA Conference on Freight Car Trucks I Bogies, pp. 1.1-1.14.
Sroba P., Roney M. (2003). Rail Grinding Best Practices, AREMA, Chicago.
Sroba P., Roney M., Dashko R. (2003). Canadian Pacific Railway's 100% Effective Lubrication Initiative, AREMA, Chicago.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright © 2022-2025. Department of Civil Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. All Rights Reserved..