Application of an X-ray diffraction method to determine the surface stresses in important railway parts

Abstract

Steel samples of important railway parts are analyzed. The surface roughness and the microstructure of the steel are shown to affect the shape and the half-width of diffraction lines when the surface stresses are determined by an X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. It is found that preliminary preparation of the sample surface is necessary to perform XRD measurements. It is shown that the XRD method can be used to determine the surface stresses for all characteristic types of steels of railway parts.