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The development of a laser cladding repair strategy is critical for the continued growth of heavy-haul railway networks. Premium hypereutectoid rails have undergone laser cladding using a new martensitic stainless-steel alloy, 415SS, developed for high carbon rails after standard cladding metals were found to be incompatible. Non-destructive neutron diffraction techniques were used to measure the residual stress in different layers generated across a dissimilar metal joint during laser cladding. The internal stress distribution across the cladding, heat-affected zone (HAZ), and substrate was measured in the untempered rail, after 350 °C and 540 °C heat treatment procedures and two surface grinding operations. The martensitic 415SS depositions produce compressive stress in the cladding, regardless of tempering procedures, which may inhibit fatigue crack propagation whilst grinding operations locally relive surface stress. Balancing tensile stresses were recorded below the fusion boundary in the HAZ due to thermal gradients altering the microstructure. The combination of 540 °C tempering and 0.5 mm surface layer removal produced a desirable combination of compression in the cladding deposition with significantly reduced tensile stresses in the HAZ. A comparison with the current literature shows that this alloy achieves a unique combination of desirable hardness, low tensile stress, and compression in the cladding layer. Data obtained during strain scanning has been used to determine the location of microstructural changes at the fusion boundary and HAZ through correlation of the stress, strain, full width at half maximum (FWHM), and intensity profiles. Therefore, neutron diffraction can be used for both the accurate measurement of internal residual stress and to obtain microstructural information of a metallurgical join non-destructively.

The properties and microstructure of friction stir processed AA 7075-T651 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) Aluminium alloy were studied using various tool designs. Trials were conducted on AA 5005-H34 with the aim of determining the most suitable FSP tool design out of the considered three different pin designs. Fully recrystallised fine microstructure and a defect free processed zone was achieved through the use of some of the FSP pin designs. For FSP 5005-H34 aluminium alloy substantial grain refinement was detected. The initial 192 µm pancake-like microstructure in the AA 5005-H34 base material was refined to 10–20 µm in the processed regions. Similarly, the grain size of around 50 µm in the base material was decreased to 4–10 µm in the processed regions of the FSP of 7075-T651 aluminium alloy. The traverse speed has a greater influence on the microhardness and mechanical properties, compared to the tool rotational speed. Microhardness and mechanical properties were improved as the traverse speed increased, due to the reduction in the precipitate-free zones at the grain boundaries.

Tram or light rail systems are heavily relied upon for passenger transit; however, low-carbon steel grades commonly used in special trackwork, such as in switches, are prone to wear, rolling contact fatigue (RCF), and deformation under cyclic wheel–rail contact. To address this, laser cladding can be used to apply a metal coating to protect the underlying substrate and rebuild the worn rail profiles. Laser cladding may also be applied to remove cracking by rebuilding the rail head. The tribological characteristics of light rail components after laser cladding with Stellite 6 and a newly developed martensitic stainless steel were investigated, using roller-on-disc wear testing. Analysis of the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear performance was undertaken to develop a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the laser cladding type on the wear and surface fatigue performance. Both cladding alloys significantly improved the tribological performance. These findings were compared to those for a laser cladded hypereutectoid rail type (reported in our previous study). It was found that laser cladding with a suitable alloy was an effective technique for improving the tribological properties, increasing the wear resistance, and increasing the retardation of cracking on both substrates. These findings suggest laser cladding may be used to repair light rail components, and this technique can be optimized to suit different rail grades. This makes laser cladding a flexible and versatile maintenance strategy, in both coating and repair applications, to prolong the operational lifetime of critical components for the railway industry.

To overcome the previous limitations imposed by standard laser cladding alloys, a novel iron-based laser cladding alloy, SS415, is developed and investigated. The wear and rolling contact fatigue resistance properties of the novel SS415 laser cladded on a premium railway hypereutectoid rail are experimentally investigated using a custom-made roller-on-disc test machine. The obtained results are compared with our previously published results of non-clad rail and the standard iron-based cladding alloys, namely, 410L and SS420, specimens under the same conditions. The accumulated wear rate and the pileup area were quantified with the aid of an optical profilometer. The obtained results were correlated to in-depth wear surface characterization using optical microscopic images. The experimental results showed that the novel SS415 exhibits favorable hardness variation, more ductile behavior, promising work hardenability, and a 95% reduction in the wear rate, in comparison to the non-cladded samples. Moreover, the SS415 cladding resulted in less surface damage and the lowest degree of third-body abrasive wear modes, after the completion of the rolling contact cycles. Based on this investigation, the novel SS415 is a promising iron-based laser cladding alloy that offers the best wear and fatigue performance compared to both 410L and SS420 cladded samples. Additionally, this novel alloy offers significantly improved mechanical and tribological properties compared to the two standard alloys.

Local material properties of the cladding layer, heat affected zone and substrate of laser cladded hypereutectoid steel rails were evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests on miniature specimens. Three laser cladding materials, i.e. 410 L, SS420 and Stellite 6, and two different heat treatment conditions were considered. To examine any possible anisotropic behaviour, specimens machined along the longitudinal and transverse laser cladding directions were tested. All the cladding layers showed similar or higher yield and ultimate tensile strengths, but lower elongation than the non-clad rail. Application of post-heat treatment significantly improved the elongation of all the cladding layer specimens. Elongation increments of 70%, 192% and 90% were respectively obtained from the 410 L, SS420 and Stellite 6 post-heat treated cladding layers. The post-heat treatment also marginally increased the yield and ultimate tensile strengths in this region. The improvement in tensile properties was associated with a more favourable microstructure, which resulted in a more dimpled morphology as depicted in the SEM images of the fractographic analysis of the tested specimens. While other properties are similar, both cladding layer and HAZ specimens showed significant different elongation values between the longitudinal and transverse directions in some cases, which indicates certain anisotropy in those materials’ ductility.