Development of an Innovative Digital Cooling Technology (Differential Heat Treatment) for EVRAZ NTMK Rails

• Published in: Steel in translation Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 415 - 419
• Main Authors: Kushnarev, A. V., Smirnov, L. A., Kirichkov, A. A., Dobuzhskaya, A. B., Khlyst, S. V., Kuzmichenko, V. M., Khlyst, I. S., Gontar’, A. V., Belokurova, E. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.06.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air flow; Alloying; Carbon content; Carbon steels; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cooling rate; Dispersion hardening; Fatigue strength; Heat treating; Heat treatment; Heating; Impact strength; Low temperature; Low temperature resistance; Materials Science; Microalloying; Pearlite; Rails; Survivability; Wear resistance; cooling rate; differential heat hardening; steel; low-temperature reliability; rails; impact toughness; service durability; plasticity
• ISSN: 0967-0912; 1935-0988
• DOI: 10.3103/S0967091220060042

TEC-DT differential heat hardening technology is developed based on the process of digital control of air humidity by high-efficiency mixing of air flows and the water ejected by it. The wide-range cooling rate control (2–14°C/s) makes it possible to heat hardened rails made of different steels, such as carbon steels, with a wide range of carbon content, and microalloyed and alloyed steels, while achieving the level of properties required for rails of both general and special purposes (low-temperature reliability and increased wear resistance). The rails, differentially hardened by reheating, have a highly dispersed pearlite structure, and a high level of ductility, impact strength, fatigue strength, and survivability.