Assessing surface fatigue crack growth in railway wheelset axle

Purpose: The aim of the proposed research is to create a calculation model of surface fatigue crack growth at the axle of railway wheelset working under operational loads. Design/methodology/approach: The energy approach of the fracture mechanics was used to formulate the calculation model of fatigue crack propagation at the wheelset axle surface. The method of least squares was used to determine the investigated material mechanical constants that the kinetic equations of the calculation model contain. The system of differential equations of crack growth kinetics was solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta method. Findings: On the basis of the energy approach of the fracture mechanics the calculation model of fatigue macrocrack growth in three-dimensional elastic-plastic body in case of a mixed-mode I+II+III macromechanism of fracture has been built. On the basis of the created calculation model, the kinetics of the growth of fatigue cracks was investigated both in the middle part of the wheelset axle and in the axle journal. Research limitations/implications: The results obtained on laboratory specimens should be tested during a real railway wheelset axle investigation. Practical implications: The created calculation model can be used in practice to formulate method of residual lifetime estimation of railway wheelset axle. Originality/value: It was shown, that surface crack kinetics depends not only on the crack initial area but also significantly depends on the crack edge geometry and comparatively small crack-like defects at the wheelset axle surface can reach critical sizes in comparatively short run. It has been found that mechanical shear stresses caused by the weight of the loaded railway wagon in the cross section of the wheelset axle journal can significantly accelerate the growth of the transverse fatigue crack at the axle surface, reducing the period of crack subcritical growth by about 20%.