Austempering

Composite material

Martensite

Metallurgy

Materials science

Lath

Wear resistance

Ferrite (magnet)

Bainite

Carbide

Microstructure

Austenite

Wear

Rolling/sliding wear behaviour of two newly designed low-carbon, continuously cooled, carbide-free bainitic rail steels has been studied and compared with pearlitic rail steel. Bainitic rail steels showed higher wear resistance than pearlitic rail steel and wear resistance increases with increasing starting hardness. Detailed microstructural characteristics of the steels undergoing wear were investigated. Wear resistance of carbide-free bainitic rail steels has been found to increase with increasing retained austenite content and decreasing bainitic ferrite lath thickness.

Dry rolling/sliding wear behaviour of pearlitic rail and newly developed carbide-free bainitic rail steels