Application of Cold Plasma to Reduce the Roughness of the Working Surface of a Railway Car Center Plate

This paper presents a study on the use of cold plasma to reduce the roughness of the working surface of center plates of railway cars. The use of cold plasma is a promising method of surface treatment which allows for a significant reduction in roughness without changing the mechanical and chemical properties of the material. As part of the study, experiments were conducted on the treatment of center plates with cold plasma, the surface roughness was measured before and after the treatment, and the microhardness, microstructure, and chemical composition of the material were analyzed. The results of our experimental studies show that the use of cold plasma can reduce roughness by 1.4-1.6 times. At the same time, the roughness parameters Ra are reduced by 29.1-37.4%, and Rz by 29.3-39.6%. A slight increase of 2.81-3.31% in the roughness parameter Sa is also obtained after cold plasma treatment compared to the base samples. Thus, the use of cold plasma for the treatment of center plates of railway cars can significantly increase their durability and reduce the costs of manufacture or repair, making this method promising for use in the railway industry.