Review of the fatigue damage tolerance of high-speed railway axles in Japan

Railway axles are one of the most important components in railway systems since a fail-safe design is not available. In the present paper, the fatigue tolerance of the high-speed railway axle in Japan is reviewed. To maintain the safety, the fatigue strength of the axle has been extensively studied. Theses case histories and consequent improvements in manufacturing process are presented. The crack propagation behavior of the induction hardened axle is studied based on the fracture mechanics. Concerning the powered railway axles, the fatigue design method in Japan is compared with that in Europe and the effect of the train velocity on the allowable load is discussed.