journal article·2026-07Open access

Size features and damage mechanism of circumferential cracks on wheel tread in railway freight train

Xiaolong Liu, Nan Wang, Xiquan Zhu, Hai Lin, Siyuan Zhang, Wenjing Wang, Tao Cong

Abstract

Size features and damage mechanism of circumferential cracks on wheel tread in railway freight train were investigated. The size features of circumferential cracks, including their distribution on the tread, crack size, and crack angle were first measured. Circumferential cracks are continuously distributed along the rolling circle direction in the central region of the wheel tread. The crack propagation angle is relatively small. Moreover, the crack propagation angle, length, and depth show positive correlations with the distance from the outer rim. The damage mechanism of the dimensional features of circumferential cracks on the wheel tread is investigated using a finite element method based on cyclic plastic constitutive theory. The results show that circumferential cracks mainly initiate at 64–66 mm from the wheel rim outer side, with an average propagation angle of 16.97° and average depth of 0.71 mm. The high plastic strain zone from 62 mm to 69 mm completely covers the crack initiation region, indicating that ratcheting induced by transverse force dominates the formation of circumferential cracks.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Railway Engineering and Dynamics · Fatigue and fracture mechanics · Geotechnical Engineering and Underground Structures

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