Shaping the structure during rolling and isothermal annealing, and its influence on the mechanical characteristics of high-carbon steel

Rail sections made of pearlitic steels used in the construction of turnouts and railroads must have appropriate mechanical and fatigue characteristics as well as high resistance to abrasive wear. The paper discusses the influence of temperature at the end of rolling and isothermal annealing on the morphology of pearlite and the mechanical properties of steel R260. Properties of sections were evaluated in a statistic tensile and impact test, while that of the microstructure by using a scanning microscope. For a quantitative analysis of pearlite colonies, the “MET-Ilo v.3.5” computer program was used. The influence of the morphology of pearlite on the impact strength of KCU in the temperature range from −80 °C to 100 °C was also determined. It was demonstrated that in the above-mentioned processes the properties of the steel may be controlled within a wide range by changing the pearlite morphology parameter in the material.