Development of a novel wheel-rail maintenance strategy utilizing laser cladding technology

The wheel-rail contact is known to cause material degradation in the forms of wear and rolling contact fatigue. Current maintenance techniques such as arc welding, rail grinding, and rail replacement contribute a significant portion of the operational cost. The large demand for a greater load-carrying capacity, particularly in Australia; a major producer of iron ore and coal, also necessitates an improvement in maintenance strategies. This research provides a systematic study towards developing a commercially viable railway maintenance technique using laser-cladding. This study has demonstrated that this technique is more cost-effective and prolongs the lives of rails and wheels.