Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RAIL CORROSION
RAIL SPECIFICATION
• Standard Specifications for Flat Bottom Rails
initially adopted in 1934
• Revised in 1939, 1955, 1958, 1960 1964,
1988,1996
• Latest version : T-12 (2009)
• Provides specifications for rails having UTS of 880
MPa, 1080 MPa CR and 1080 MPa HH
• Specifies Niobium (NB), Vanadium (VN), Copper
Molybdenum (CM), Nickel Chromium Copper (NC)
rails
Rail Sections
• IRS 52 kg/m
• UIC 60kg/m
• ZU 1-60 Profile (73kg/m)
• 136 RE 14 (68kg/m)
Iron from Iron Ore..
• Iron ore mixed with carbon (coke) & a flux (lime-stone)
and mixture heated in a blast furnace.
• Carbon (Coke) burns to produce carbon monoxide (CO) &
heat.
• CO :highly reducing gas which reduces iron oxide to iron.
• Other impurities are absorbed by flux to form slag which
being lighter than iron floats on the surface. Slag also
protects iron from further re-oxidation.
• Molten iron is tapped from blast furnace & cast into pigs.
• This called Pig Iron & process called smelting of iron ore.
MANUFACTURING PROCESS
To convert pig iron into steel, various methods:
– Bessemer Process,
– Open Hearth Process,
– Basic oxygen method &
– Electric Arc Furnace Method
Steel to be manufactured using Basic oxygen
method or Electric Arc Furnace Method (with
secondary ladle refining & vacuum degassing)
Basic Oxygen Method is being used in Bhilai
Steel Plant for manufacture of rails.
CASTING
• INGOT CASTING: liquid steel poured in ingot moulds of Cast
Iron. Defects viz piping, blow-holes, segregation, columnar
structure & internal fissures present in Ingots. not used
now.
• CONTINUOUS CASTING process : to be adopted – no
interruption to flow of liquid steel into the moulds and strands –
inter-mixing of some liquid steel from the two successive casts is
ensured
– Cleaner steel
– Small and more uniformly distributed inclusion
– No Reheating is required.
– Economical
CONTINUOUS CASTING
• This process comprises the direct
solidification of liquid steel into a solid
bloom which is continuously extracted
from the casting machine and cut into
the required length
• The cross sectional area of bloom should
not be less than ten times the rail
section to be produced
Bloom
Structures of Steel
• Austenite: As liquid metal from blast furnace solidifies, it takes
up Gamma format (temp of 910 deg, crystalline structure
transformed into Gamma iron) it can take upto 1.7% solid carbon
into solution. Iron form called Austenite.
• Perlite: On further, cooling, Austenite itself transforms into
Alpha Iron, a low carbon content phase. (Pure iron exists at room
temp in crystalline form known as Alpha Iron) & a lameller
structure called as Perlite. (Desired in Rail manufacturing)
• Martensite: when hot metal is rapidly quenched, carbon atoms
do not have sufficient time to combine with iron atoms hence
formation of Perlite is not possible. Surplus Carbon atoms
becomes trapped in crystalline structure & distort it. Resultant
structure is extremely hard/brittle material known as Martensite.
Classification of Rails
• Prime Quality Rails
– Class ‘A’ Rails
– Class ‘B’ Rails
The classification is based on the tolerance in
end straightness
• Industrial Use (IU) Quality Rails
Based on tolerances in sectional dimensions and
end straightness
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF RAIL STEELS
Hydrogen
S P Al Others Content in
Grade C Mn Si
(Max.) (Max.) (Max.) (Max) Liq Steel
(Max.)
0.60- 0.80-
880 0.10-0.50 0.030 0.030 0.015 -- 1.6 ppm
0.80 1.30
0.20
1080 0.60- 0.80- Mo+ .8-
0.50-1.10 0.025 0.025 0.004 1.6 ppm
Cr 0.80 1.20 1.2 Cr+ .
2V
1080
HH 0.60- 0.80-
0.10-0.50 0.030 0.030 0.015 -- 1.6 ppm
0.80 1.30
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
OF RAIL STEELS
UTS Yield Running Elongation
Strength surface (min)
Grade (min)
(min) hardness
(MPa) (Mpa) (BHN) (Percent)
IU 13 M IU 11 M REJECTED
SECTIONS AND DIMENSIONS
• Tolerances in sectional Dimensions
• Length
• End Squareness
• End Straightness
• Surface defects
MEASUREMENTS
• QUALIFYING TESTS
– Residual Stress Measurement – residual
tensile stress anywhere < 190 MPa
– Fracture Toughness Measurement
– Fatigue Test – sample should endure 10
million cycle at specified strain level
• Residual Stress
• Flexural stress
• Thermal stress
• Contact stress
Typical Values Adopted on IR
HANDLING OF RAILS
HANDLING OF RAILS:MAIN
CONSIDERATIONS
• 90 UTS RAIL ARE HARDER AND MORE
BRITTLE COMPARED TO 72 UTS RAIL, DUE TO
HIGH CARBON CONTENT
– Min elongation - 90 UTS – 10%, 72 UTS – 14%
• 90 UTS RAIL ARE HIGHLY NOTCH SENSITIVE
– Notch of even 0.25 mm may cause fracture
• RAIL SHOULD BE HANDLED AS PER ‘GUIDELINE
FOR HANDLING OF RAIL – NOV,2006’ issued vide
Railway Board’s letter No.Track/21/98/0908/7
dated 30-10-2006
HANDLING OF RAILS:MAIN
CONSIDERATIONS
• PROTECTION OF STRAIGHTNESS
• AVOIDING POINT LINE LOADING
• PROTECTION OF RAIL SURFACE
• PREVENTION OF METALLURGICAL DAMAGE
• PROTECTION FROM CONTACT WITH INJURIOUS
SUBSTANCES
• MINIMISING DANGER TO PERSONNEL
Handling and Stacking of rails
• The damage to rails including formation of dent/deformation
at rail foot can be detected by:
• Inspecting rails before laying in track.
• Essentially, Rails are to be thoroughly inspected at the level
of SSE/P. Way for presence of:
• Damages to rails during
– Transportation,
– Unloading and handling
• Higher UTS (90) Rails are used to control the wear to meet
needs of increased traffic.
• More corrosion prone due to increase C.
• Sudden fracture being brittle ( % El 10% ). .
• Improvement in quality of rail steel :
‒ Improving ductility to reduce sudden fracture.
‒ Improving Corrosion Resistance of Rails
‒ Tackling Heavier Axle Loads
Analysis of Premature Rail/ FB Weld Failures
Development of New Rail steel Metallurgies
• In order to maximise the service life of rails, sustained
efforts are being made for improvement in quality of Rails
by developing:
– Micro-alloyed corrosion resistant rails: Nickel-Chromium-
Copper and Copper-Molybdenum
– Micro-alloyed High strength Rails Vanadium & Niobium
Rails.
– Higher UTS 1080 grade Cr-V rails for higher axle loads
– New improved rail steel having enhanced fracture toughness and
ductility, reduced fatigue crack growth rate and improved
weldability.
• Under Development
NEW PRODUCTS at SAIL
(a) (b)
Photographs showing the comparative rust appearance on plain carbon and Cu-
Mo rails after 3 years 6 months of exposure and use in the coastal environment
Vanadium Micro-alloyed
High Strength Rails
Conventional 880 MPa pearlitic rails have limitation of
achieving YS/UTS ratio>0.52.
Rails are replaced prematurely due to excessive plastic
deformation of rail head especially in curved section of the
track.
The demand for rails possessing higher strength and YS/UTS
ratio is increasing due to stringent service conditions
– higher Axle load
– higher speeds
– higher traffic density
– corrosion prone atmosphere
Vanadium micro-alloyed rail (880 grade) is having high yield
strength of 630 MPa
Vanadium Micro-alloyed Rails
Chemical Composition ( %)
Carbon 0.60-0.80 Silicon 0.10-0.50
Manganese 0.80-1.30 Aluminum 0.015 (max)
Phosphorus 0.030 (max) Vanadium 0.20 (max)
Sulphur 0.025(max) Hydrogen(max) 1.6 ppm
Mechenical Properties
UTS (Mpa) 880 (min) Yield Strength (Mpa) 630
Elongation 9.0 (min) Hardness (BHN) 260
(% )
Ni-Cu-Cr Rails
Background
– Since railway is the cheapest mode of transportation
worldwide, rail tracks have been laid and used in
different geographical situations and frequency.
– Moreover, near costal areas and in developing
countries due to human excreta, rail tracks faces
severe corrosion problem.
– Addition of Cr improves strength and Cu & Ni
addition improves corrosion resistant properties , Ni
also increases toughness of rail steel.
NCC and Cu-Mo Rails
• Mechanical properties ( Mean Value of seven Heats)
Type of Rail UTS (MPa) YS (MPa) %EL Hardness(BHN)
Cu-Mo Rails 1119.1 831.3 11.1 298.1
NCC Rails 1040 683 12.03 314
C-Mn Rails 880 460 10.0 260
• Fracture Toughness & Endurance limits
Rail Type K1c (MPa m1/2) Endurance Limit
(strain at 10 million cycles)
Co-Mo Rails 49.67* 0.00152
NCC Rails 35.52# 0.00154
C-Mn rails 42* 0.00135
Nb Rails
• Fracture 920.27
Toughness, Endurance Limits & Micro Structure 569 0.618 13.97 266
V Rails 981 652.5 0.665 10.67 285
110 UTS Rails 1110 738 0.665 10.80 345
C-Mn rails 880 460 0.522 10.00 260 (Min)
Rail Type K1c Endurance Limit Prior austenite Pearlite colony Inter lamellar
(MPa m½) (strain at 10 million grain size (μm) size, (μm) spacing (μm)
cycles)
Nb Rails 48.0* 0.00164 20-30 3-6 0.13-0.20
*At room #
At -20°C temperature
Outcome of Lab & Field Evaluations
Nb and V Rails
• Lab Evaluation:
Finer pearlite inter-lamellar spacing
Higher Yield Strength, Higher YS to UTS ratio
Improved ductility, Better fracture toughness
Superior high cycle fatigue endurance limits
• Field Evaluation:
Rails laid for field trial in SER, Mid term inspections done in 2011 & 2013. Final inspection planned for
service performance evaluation and submission of report.
110 UTS Rails
• Lab Evaluation
Higher running surface hardness,
Higher tensile strengths (UTS & YS)
Higher fracture toughness in comparison of 90 UTS C-Mn Rails
Ductility almost at par with normal C-Mn rails.
• Field Evaluation
Production of 600 T of 110 UTS Rails for limited field trial in progress at Bhilai Steel Plant.
Initial limited field trial to be done on routes having axle load operation up to 25 Tonnes.
Hatia –Orga section of Ranchi division of South Eastern Railway
Performance evaluation for a period of 2 years.
Suitability for further higher axle load upto 32.5 Tonnes will be explored after evaluation of trial results.
200 out of 600 MT of 110 UTS rails rolled in BSP, Bhilai. Further rolling in progress for trials.
Thick Web Asymmetric Rails
Guide plate
Rail Pad