Influence of the In-Service Factors on the Serviceability of Graphitized Steel

We compare the regularities of the influence of high (up to 800°С) and low (down to – 40°C) temperatures and corrosive media on the mechanical characteristics of graphitized steel and known 2 and T wheel steels. It is shown that the decrease in the temperature of austenitization and rapid growth of the high-temperature plasticity of steels create more favorable conditions for the formation of slider-type defects on the rolling surfaces of railroad wheels. It is also established that, at low temperatures (down to – 40°C), the graphitized steel is not susceptible to low-temperature embrittlement and the corrosive media do not affect its cyclic crack resistance.