Effect of Long-Term Operation on Structural-Phase State of Hypereutectoid Rail Steel

Abstract—For rails of increased wear resistance and contact endurance of the DH400RK category made of E–0.9C–Cr–V–Fe hypereutectoid steel, after a tonnage of 187 million tons, the fine structure in the railhead along the central axis at distances of 0, 2, and 10 mm was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy for the four morphological components of pearlite from the rolling surface. The nonmonotonic change in scalar and excess dislocation density, fragment size, cementite particles, and internal long-range stress fields in the railhead section was analyzed.