Effects of Multi-Crack Initiation in High-Speed Railway Wheel Subsurface on Tread Peeling Lifetime

The evolution characteristics of multi-source-fatigue-crack propagation in the subsurface of a high-speed wheel’s tread and its influence on tread peeling life are the basis for accurately evaluating wheel service lifetime. This study explores the influence of morphology distribution and the size of cracks in the tread on peeling life. The results show that the crack propagation mode in the wheel is mainly mode II and mode III composite propagation caused by shear stress. A fatigue crack inside the wheel with an angle of 45° represents the most dangerous situation. The maximum value of the von Mises stress inside the wheel increases with the increase in the number of multi-source cracks. The equivalent stress intensity factor (SIF) for multi-source cracks is higher than for a single crack. Also, mode III propagation has higher sensitivity to the number of cracks. The existence of multi-source cracks also increases the initial driving force ΔKeq of crack propagation. The results are useful for the evaluation of the service life of high-speed wheels.