A pesquisa relativa ao transporte ferroviário no Brasil tem se intensificado nos últimos anos visando principalmente a melhoria no desempenho do par rodatrilho. Isso se deve à demanda de se transportar cada vez mais carga por eixo com a finalidade de reduzir o custo de transporte. Através de mudanças na microestrutura do material ou de mudanças na composição das ligas utilizadas na fabricação pode se aumentar a resistência do par roda-trilho. Neste trabalho foi analisada a influência de diferentes microestruturas (puramente perlíticas e perlíticas-bainíticas), obtidas por meio de tratamento térmico por dilatometria, nas propriedades de um aço alto carbono similar ao utilizado em rodas convencionais classe C AAR destinadas ao transporte de carga pesada. As análises empregaram técnicas metalográficas (identificação de fases presentes e distância interlamelar da perlita), ensaios magnéticos (saturação magnética e ruído magnético de Barkhausen), ensaio mecânico de dureza e ensaio tribológico de resistência ao desgaste por deslizamento. Foram caracterizadas rodas ferroviárias classe C AAR em quatro condições distintas: usadas e novas, fundidas e forjadas. / Research about rail transport in Brazil has been intensified recently due the need to improve the wheel-rail performance, considering the demand of increasing axle load aiming for transportation cost reduction. Changes in the material microstructure or in the alloys composition can improve the wheel-rail resistance. A eutectoid steel similar to that used in conventional class C AAR wheels (designed to heavy haul transportation - high loads and low speeds) was submitted to isothermal heat treatments applying dilatometry techniques at ten different cycles. Different microstructures (totally pearlitic and pearlitic-bainitic) were obtained and their influence on the mechanical and magnetic properties was analyzed. The analysis included metallographic techniques (identification of phases and pearlite interlamellar spacing), magnetic testing (magnetic saturation and magnetic Barkhausen noise) and mechanical testing (hardness and pin-ondisc tests). Railway wheels Class C ARR were characterized in four different conditions: new and used, cast and forged.

A pesquisa relativa ao transporte ferroviário no Brasil tem se intensificado nos últimos anos visando principalmente a melhoria no desempenho do par rodatrilho. Isso se deve à demanda de se transportar cada vez mais carga por eixo com a finalidade de reduzir o custo de transporte. Através de mudanças na microestrutura do material ou de mudanças na composição das ligas utilizadas na fabricação pode se aumentar a resistência do par roda-trilho. Neste trabalho foi analisada a influência de diferentes microestruturas (puramente perlíticas e perlíticas-bainíticas), obtidas por meio de tratamento térmico por dilatometria, nas propriedades de um aço alto carbono similar ao utilizado em rodas convencionais classe C AAR destinadas ao transporte de carga pesada. As análises empregaram técnicas metalográficas (identificação de fases presentes e distância interlamelar da perlita), ensaios magnéticos (saturação magnética e ruído magnético de Barkhausen), ensaio mecânico de dureza e ensaio tribológico de resistência ao desgaste por deslizamento. Foram caracterizadas rodas ferroviárias classe C AAR em quatro condições distintas: usadas e novas, fundidas e forjadas. / Research about rail transport in Brazil has been intensified recently due the need to improve the wheel-rail performance, considering the demand of increasing axle load aiming for transportation cost reduction. Changes in the material microstructure or in the alloys composition can improve the wheel-rail resistance. A eutectoid steel similar to that used in conventional class C AAR wheels (designed to heavy haul transportation - high loads and low speeds) was submitted to isothermal heat treatments applying dilatometry techniques at ten different cycles. Different microstructures (totally pearlitic and pearlitic-bainitic) were obtained and their influence on the mechanical and magnetic properties was analyzed. The analysis included metallographic techniques (identification of phases and pearlite interlamellar spacing), magnetic testing (magnetic saturation and magnetic Barkhausen noise) and mechanical testing (hardness and pin-ondisc tests). Railway wheels Class C ARR were characterized in four different conditions: new and used, cast and forged.

L’effet de l’espacement interlamellaire sur le comportement sous chargements monotone et cyclique de l’acier perlitique C70 a été étudié. Une démarche expérimentale conjuguant les essais de traction « in-situ » sous DRX et traction « in-situ » sous MEB couplées à une modélisation auto-cohérente a été adoptée. Les essais ont été effectués sur deux microstructures, à deux espacements interlamellaires différents. Il a été montré que l'écoulement plastique de la perlite est contrôlé par celui de la ferrite lequel est gouverné par l’espacement interlamellaire, il en est de même pour les distributions des contraintes résiduelles. La modélisation auto-cohérente met en évidence l'anisotropie élastique à l'échelle des phases et l'effet de l'espacement interlamellaire sur les rigidités et les limites d'écoulement directionnelles. L'analyse microstructurale des mécanismes de déformation montre que la déformation plastique de la perlite est caractérisée par le développement de bandes de cisaillement. Ces bandes sont le siège de l'amorçage des fissures par cisaillement des lamelles de cémentite pour les taux de déformation élevés. L’effet de l’espacement interlamellaire sur le comportement en fatigue giga-cyclique a été étudié par des essais de fatigue sous une fréquence de 20 KHz. Des différences de 30 MPa, pour la perlite à SP= 230 nm et de 50 MPa pour la perlite à SP= 170 nm entre les limites de fatigue conventionnelle (106cycles) et giga-cyclique (109cycles) ont été obtenues. L’effet de l’espacement interlamellaire sur le comportement en fatigue apparait peu significatif comparativement aux caractéristiques mécaniques de traction. Les limites de fatigue giga-cycliques obtenues intègrent l’effet bénéfique des contraintes résiduelles stabilisées ainsi que les effets d’écrouissage induit par l’usinage et par écrouissage cyclique. L’examen des sites d’amorçage, révèle essentiellement un amorçage en surface dans le domaine méga-cyclique et mixte en surface et/ou en sous-couches dans le domaine giga-cyclique. Ces résultats peuvent être interprétés sur la base des effets des propriétés de surface stabilisées et de la microstructure. Le recours à un critère de fatigue de type Goodman permet d’identifier d’une manière qualitative la contribution des différents facteurs d’influence, ci-dessus cités, dans l’amorçage des fissures de fatigue. / The effect of interlamellar spacing on the monotonic and cyclic behavior of C70 pearltic steel was investigated. Tensile tests under scanning electron microscope and under X-ray diffraction coupled with self-consistent model have been used. Tests have been carried out on two microstructures with different interlamellar spacing. It has been demonstrated that pearlite yielding is controlled by ferrite critical shear stress), which depend on the interlamellar spacing. The pearlite deforms inhomogeneously under tensile loading by localized shearing in intense shear bands. In the large shear bands, parallel cementite plate offsets before fracture and contributes to the occurrence of localized damage. The residual stress in ferrite is higher for the coarse pearlite. Giga-cycle fatigue tests were performed to identify the effect of interlamellar spacing on the fatigue behavior; tests were performed at a frequency of 20 KHz. The difference of the fatigue strength between 106 and 109 cycles is about 30 MPa for coarse pearlite and 50 MPa for fine pearlite. The effect of interlamellar spacing on the mega-cycle and giga-cycle fatigue limit appears not significant compared to the mechanical characteristics. Giga-cycle fatigue limit obtained includes the beneficial effect of stabilized residual stress. It also includes the effect of hardening induced by machining and cyclic hardening. However, any significant effect of interlamellar spacing on the C70 fatigue limits has been shown. SEM examinations shows that failures initiated on surface for the mega-cycle regime and on different sites for the giga-cycle regime. The experimental results can be interpreted based on the effects of stabilized surface properties and microstructure. The use of a fatigue Goodman criterion would identify qualitatively the contribution of different factors, cited above, in the fatigue life.