Crack propagation behavior of ER8 wheel steel containing upper bainite

In recently years, high-speed and heavy-haul railway technology has been rapidly developed and widely used in China. Pearlite steel is usually used in railway wheels, and its structure is composed of pearlite and ferrite. Pearlite has properties, including mechanical properties, that combine those of ferrite and cementite, and it also has acceptable strength and toughness. The comprehensive mechanical properties of pearlite are better than those of ferrite or cementite alone. When upper bainite is produced after the heat-treatment of ER8 wheel steel, the upper bainite may become the channel of crack development because of the large carbide particles and the weak strengthening effect and especially because of the presence of flake ferrites. In this study, the influence of different contents of upper bainite on the crack propagation behavior of ER8 wheel steel was investigated. The microstructure and crack growth path of ER8 wheel steel were studied by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results show that ER8 wheel steels not only have ferrite and pearlite but also upper bainite. The crack propagates through the upper bainite and pearlite and finally stops in the pearlite region. Compared with the pearlite microstructure, the crack propagation path in the upper bainite is more tortuous. The crack propagation and deformation of ER8 wheel steels were observed in situ by scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results show that when ER8 iron wheel steel containing 80% upper bainite is stretched, the microstructure deformation process is mainly ferrite and upper bainite. The crack in the upper bainite and the pearlite continues to expand with the pearlite deformation. However, when ER8 iron wheel steel containing 50% upper bainite is stretched, the deformation process mainly involves ferrite and pearlite, and the upper bainite retards the ferrite and pearlite deformation. The upper bainite can effectively prevent crack growth and plays an important role in deflecting crack path and delaying crack growth. Moreover, it hinders the deformation of ferrite and pearlite.