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

Figure 4

Two bands of cracks on surface of wheel, highlighted with dye penetrant. The flange is to the left and the field side to the right. Inverted numerals (40, 70, and 100) indicate distance from the back of the flange in millimetres. A manually enhanced sample of each crack band is shown below the original in the boxes. Flange root (Region C, left) has long angled surface cracks. Field side band (Region E, right) has circumferential cracks; some of these are longer and penetrate more deeply.