Fatigue crack growth in railway axles: Assessment concept and validation tests

Railway axles are safety relevant components which are usually designed for up to 30 years of service. Besides the experience based definition of inspection intervals, the application of fracture mechanics tools is currently being introduced as an appropriate method. Basic fatigue crack growth data both in the range of stable crack propagation and near the threshold have been experimentally determined for the heat-treated railway axle steels 25CrMo4 (EA4T) and 34CrNiMo6+QT under constant and variable amplitude loading at relevant stress ratios (predominantly fully reversed load cycles, R = −1). For the computational modelling of fatigue crack propagation, a generally applicable stress intensity factor solution has been derived by finite-element analyses. The results are employed for predicting fatigue crack growth in a reference railway axle within the shaft and in the fillet zone near a press fit. Additionally, the influence of press fitting on the crack propagation behaviour in a fillet is discussed. Finally, fatigue crack growth curves experimentally determined on 1:3 and 1:1 scaled axles at constant and variable amplitude loading are compared to the test results for standard M(T) specimens, as well as to respective analytical predictions.