{"id":{"repo_id":"colo-mines","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.mines.edu:11124/170691"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/colo-mines/oai:repository.mines.edu:11124/170691","repository":{"repo_id":"colo-mines","name":"Colorado School of Mines","base_url":"https://repository.mines.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Effects of copper on wear and rolling-sliding contact fatigue of rail steels","abstract":"The effects of copper content on the wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF), specifically rolling sliding contact fatigue (RSCF), of hypereutectoid rail steels were evaluated. Steel from three heats of head hardened, hypereutectoid rails with copper levels of 0.07, 0.38, and 0.85 wt pct were selected for the study. All of the material was industrially produced through electric arc steelmaking at EVRAZ, Pueblo. Wear behavior was evaluated through the use of twin disc testing for the three hypereutectoid rail steels. The samples were measured at specific intervals. A high wear rate was observed during the first 1,000 cycles after which a linear steady state wear rate was observed. A small decrease in the steady state wear rate was observed with increasing copper content and increasing strength. Preliminary RSCF testing was performed using the 0.38 wt pct Cu rail steel and an intermediate hardness rail steel to evaluate two RCF testing methods reviewed in literature, a fully lubricated method and a dry-lubricated method where dry cycles were used to initiate damage and the lubrication was added to propagate the cracks through a hydrostatic mechanism. In both cases the 0.38 Cu hypereutectoid material outperformed the intermediate hardness rail steel. The fully lubricated method was chosen for the primary RSCF testing. The primary RSCF testing was performed with the three hypereutectoid rail steels and an intermediate hardness steel as a reference. A longer RSCF life was observed for the hypereutectoid rail than the intermediate hardness, as well as an increase in RSCF life with increasing copper content within the hypereutectoid steels. Atom probe tomography was used to investigate the location of the copper within the hypereutectoid rail steels, and clusters of higher copper concentration within the ferrite at the ferrite/cementite interface were observed.","abstract_html":"The effects of copper content on the wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF), specifically rolling sliding contact fatigue (RSCF), of hypereutectoid rail steels were evaluated. Steel from three heats of head hardened, hypereutectoid rails with copper levels of 0.07, 0.38, and 0.85 wt pct were selected for the study. All of the material was industrially produced through electric arc steelmaking at EVRAZ, Pueblo. Wear behavior was evaluated through the use of twin disc testing for the three hypereutectoid rail steels. The samples were measured at specific intervals. A high wear rate was observed during the first 1,000 cycles after which a linear steady state wear rate was observed. A small decrease in the steady state wear rate was observed with increasing copper content and increasing strength. Preliminary RSCF testing was performed using the 0.38 wt pct Cu rail steel and an intermediate hardness rail steel to evaluate two RCF testing methods reviewed in literature, a fully lubricated method and a dry-lubricated method where dry cycles were used to initiate damage and the lubrication was added to propagate the cracks through a hydrostatic mechanism. In both cases the 0.38 Cu hypereutectoid material outperformed the intermediate hardness rail steel. The fully lubricated method was chosen for the primary RSCF testing. The primary RSCF testing was performed with the three hypereutectoid rail steels and an intermediate hardness steel as a reference. A longer RSCF life was observed for the hypereutectoid rail than the intermediate hardness, as well as an increase in RSCF life with increasing copper content within the hypereutectoid steels. Atom probe tomography was used to investigate the location of the copper within the hypereutectoid rail steels, and clusters of higher copper concentration within the ferrite at the ferrite/cementite interface were observed.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Froman, Jarred"],"institution":"Colorado School of Mines. Arthur Lakes Library","degree_name":"Master of Science (M.S.)","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Metallurgical and Materials Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["De Moor, Emmanuel"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Matlock, David K.","Cryderman, Robert"],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017","date_published":"2017","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:48Z","subjects":["rail","wear","rolling contact fatigue","copper"],"languages":["eng","English"],"rights":["Copyright of the original work is retained by the author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["T 8234"],"render_values":[{"text":"T 8234","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/11124/170691","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["De Moor, Emmanuel"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Matlock, David K.","Cryderman, Robert"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Froman, Jarred"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2017-03-01T17:05:22Z","2022-02-03T13:00:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-02-28T04:18:44Z","2022-02-03T13:00:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2017"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Colorado School of Mines. 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Steel from three heats of head hardened, hypereutectoid rails with copper levels of 0.07, 0.38, and 0.85 wt pct were selected for the study. All of the material was industrially produced through electric arc steelmaking at EVRAZ, Pueblo. Wear behavior was evaluated through the use of twin disc testing for the three hypereutectoid rail steels. The samples were measured at specific intervals. A high wear rate was observed during the first 1,000 cycles after which a linear steady state wear rate was observed. A small decrease in the steady state wear rate was observed with increasing copper content and increasing strength. Preliminary RSCF testing was performed using the 0.38 wt pct Cu rail steel and an intermediate hardness rail steel to evaluate two RCF testing methods reviewed in literature, a fully lubricated method and a dry-lubricated method where dry cycles were used to initiate damage and the lubrication was added to propagate the cracks through a hydrostatic mechanism. In both cases the 0.38 Cu hypereutectoid material outperformed the intermediate hardness rail steel. The fully lubricated method was chosen for the primary RSCF testing. The primary RSCF testing was performed with the three hypereutectoid rail steels and an intermediate hardness steel as a reference. A longer RSCF life was observed for the hypereutectoid rail than the intermediate hardness, as well as an increase in RSCF life with increasing copper content within the hypereutectoid steels. Atom probe tomography was used to investigate the location of the copper within the hypereutectoid rail steels, and clusters of higher copper concentration within the ferrite at the ferrite/cementite interface were observed."]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["born digital","masters theses"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effects of copper on wear and rolling-sliding contact fatigue of rail steels"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["De Moor, Emmanuel"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Matlock, David K.","Cryderman, Robert"],"dc:creator":["Froman, Jarred"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-03-01T17:05:22Z","2022-02-03T13:00:40Z"],"dc:date.available":["2018-02-28T04:18:44Z","2022-02-03T13:00:40Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017"],"dc:description":["Includes bibliographical references.","2017 Spring."],"dc:description.abstract":["The effects of copper content on the wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF), specifically rolling sliding contact fatigue (RSCF), of hypereutectoid rail steels were evaluated. Steel from three heats of head hardened, hypereutectoid rails with copper levels of 0.07, 0.38, and 0.85 wt pct were selected for the study. All of the material was industrially produced through electric arc steelmaking at EVRAZ, Pueblo. Wear behavior was evaluated through the use of twin disc testing for the three hypereutectoid rail steels. The samples were measured at specific intervals. A high wear rate was observed during the first 1,000 cycles after which a linear steady state wear rate was observed. A small decrease in the steady state wear rate was observed with increasing copper content and increasing strength. Preliminary RSCF testing was performed using the 0.38 wt pct Cu rail steel and an intermediate hardness rail steel to evaluate two RCF testing methods reviewed in literature, a fully lubricated method and a dry-lubricated method where dry cycles were used to initiate damage and the lubrication was added to propagate the cracks through a hydrostatic mechanism. In both cases the 0.38 Cu hypereutectoid material outperformed the intermediate hardness rail steel. The fully lubricated method was chosen for the primary RSCF testing. The primary RSCF testing was performed with the three hypereutectoid rail steels and an intermediate hardness steel as a reference. A longer RSCF life was observed for the hypereutectoid rail than the intermediate hardness, as well as an increase in RSCF life with increasing copper content within the hypereutectoid steels. Atom probe tomography was used to investigate the location of the copper within the hypereutectoid rail steels, and clusters of higher copper concentration within the ferrite at the ferrite/cementite interface were observed."],"dc:format.medium":["born digital","masters theses"],"dc:identifier":["T 8234"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/11124/170691"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Colorado School of Mines. Arthur Lakes Library"],"dc:rights":["Copyright of the original work is retained by the author."],"dc:subject":["rail","wear","rolling contact fatigue","copper"],"dc:title":["Effects of copper on wear and rolling-sliding contact fatigue of rail steels"],"dc:type":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Metallurgical and Materials Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (M.S.)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Colorado School of Mines"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:48Z"}