Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Speed Train Wheels: A Comprehensive Study of the Rim and Web

High-speed trains have revolutionized modern transportation with their exceptional speeds, yet the essence of this technological breakthrough resides in the train's wheels. These meticulously engineered components are deliberately designed to endure extreme mechanical stresses while ensuring uncompromising safety and reliability. In this paper, we selected the rim and web as representative components of the wheel and conducted a comprehensive and systematic study on their microstructure and mechanical properties. The wheels are typically produced through integral forging. To improve the mechanical performance of the wheel/rail contact surface, i.e. tread in the wheel, the rim is subjected to surface quenching or other heat treatments. This endows the rim with strength and hardness second only to the tread, while also reducing its texture intensity and ductility, resulting in nearly isotropic characteristics and better fatigue resistance in low-cycle and high-cycle regimes under rotating bending. The web connects the wheel axle to the rim and retains the pronounced texture formed during the forging process. Its strength is lower than that of the rim, while its ductility is slightly better. This indicates that there is still considerable potential to tailor the mechanical properties of the web through heat treatment.