PROLONG THE SERVICE LIFE OF SWITCH RAIL BY IMPROVED INDUCTION HEAT TREATMENT

Switch rail is a very important part on the railway track, which not only accounts for the safety of the passing trains but also greatly influences the speed of the train. The higher the speed and the loads of the train the more it demands on the properties of the switch rail. Research shows that the higher mechanical properties of switch rail the longer the service life. Induction heat treatment is a good way of improving the mechanical properties of metallic materials. But the switch rail's section area changes gradually across the lengthways, which is difficult for induction heating especially for the small section. And the mechanical property of small section of the switch rail is the most important for its service life. The induction heat treatment used past always brings the low hardness on small section which can cause low service life of switch for wearing, or too high hardness because of martensite microstructure which can cause the shelling or even breaking of the switch rail. To prolong the service life of switch rail by higher mechanical properties, we researched the improved induction heat treatment for switch rail by adjusting speed of heating, and adopting compressed air cooling. The results showed that switch rail obtain almost the same high hardness across the length way after the improved induction heat treatment, which is very helpful to extend the service life of switch rail.