Steel wheel stress cracking gets new non destructive testing technique 14 August 2013

Trains will spend less time out of service due to wheel stress cracks, thanks to a technique that uses neutron diffraction to measure several centimetres into steel wheels.

The work was undertaken using the ENGIN-X instrument, at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which allows large, heavy components, rather than metal samples, to be tested.

"We know that the cracks grow more quickly toward the end of the wheel's life, and this is true for various types of trains operating in different conditions," comments Dr Adam Bevan, who led the study for the University of Huddersfield.

"We wanted to know which was more important: the change in hardness or the change in residual stress. Hardness is easy to measure, but measuring the distribution of residual stress in the wheel is more difficult," he continues.

"Neutron diffraction allows us to measure several centimetres into the steel, and the big advantage of ENGIN-X, at ISIS, is the ability to test such large and heavy components."

The work has been funded by a consortium including the Rail Safety and Standards Board, the Association of Train Operating Companies, Siemens, Lucchini, and EPSRC.

"We are always willing to support universities in genuine new research such as this," comments Sean Barson, technical services manager at Lucchini UK.

"We have extensive facilities in Italy but we don't have anything like ENGIN-X at ISIS."

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
EPSRC
Lucchini Unipart Rail Ltd
Siemens Industry Ltd

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