The Influence of Wheel/Rail Contact Conditions on the Microstructure and Hardness of Railway Wheels

Figure 17

OM images of microstructure toward the field side of the tread (Region F1), showing the transition from sheared material (left, bordering the RCF band) to unsheared material in the region that is rarely in contact with the rails. The majority of Region F does not exhibit shearing of the microstructure.