FORMATION OF STRUCTURE, PHASE COMPOSITION, AND DEFECTIVE SUBSTRUCTURE IN DIFFERENTIALLY HARDENED RAILS

Abstract

Domestic practice of thermal hardening of rails on an industrial scale is represented by the technology of bulk rail quenching in oil with separate furnace heating and subsequent high-temperature tempering. Current global trends point to the importance of cross-sectional analysis of rails for understanding the physical nature of the transformations, as it allows for the targeted development of product performance parameters. To identify the nature and mechanisms of structure formation, phase composition, and defective substructure, and, consequently, to establish optimal processing conditions, the identification of quantitative patterns and analysis of structural-phase states and fine structure parameters of rails are of fundamental importance.