Impact of corrosion upon fatigue properties of A1N steel

Corrosion fatigue is emerging to be an important topic in the evaluation of railway axles’ structural integrity as some recent axle failures have been attributed to the presence of corrosion pits and some to the corrosion of the axle surface. Despite the importance of this topic, the existing EN standards do not precisely quantify the effect that corrosion or corrosion-fatigue could have on the fatigue strength of a railway axle. This paper is an investigation of the fatigue properties of A1N steel in the presence of a corrosive environment. The results of the analysis show that the corrosion typically found on axles is significant from the point of view of fatigue properties and that the fatigue life of A1N steel is strongly affected by the presence of a mildly corrosive medium like rainwater. Fatigue tests results are consistent with fatigue strength reduction that were suggested in the BASS technical recommendations.