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Journals / Demiryolu Mühendisliği / 2026 / Sayı: 25

Effect of Crack Size and Orientation on Stress Intensity Factors of Three-Dimensional Cracks in the S-Transition Region of a Railway Axle

Demiryolu Dingilinin S-Geçiş Bölgesindeki Üç Boyutlu Çatlaklarda Çatlak Boyutu ve Yöneliminin Gerilme Şiddet Faktörlerine Etkisi

Oğuzhan Demir(BİLECİK ŞEYH EDEBALİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-1947-2617
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Publication Date
2026-09-16
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The results showed that crack inclination (α) has a pronounced effect on the magnitude and distribution of the SIF components, with increasing inclination generally reducing KI and enhancing KII and KIII at intermediate angles.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:S-transition regions of railway axles are critical locations for crack initiation and propagation due to geometric discontinuities and highly non-uniform stress fields.
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Key Findings & Data:The parametric analyses considered crack-depth-to-local-wall-thickness ratios of a/t = 0.08, 0.10, and 0.12, crack-depth-to-crack-length ratios of a/c = 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, crack inclination angles of α = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, and crack deflection angles of β = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°.
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Conclusion & Impact:The results showed that crack inclination (α) has a pronounced effect on the magnitude and distribution of the SIF components, with increasing inclination generally reducing KI and enhancing KII and KIII at intermediate angles.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Demiryolu Dingili · S-Geçiş Bölgesi · Gerilme Şiddet Faktörü

Abstract

S-transition regions of railway axles are critical locations for crack initiation and propagation due to geometric discontinuities and highly non-uniform stress fields. In this study, the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of three-dimensional surface cracks located in the S-transition region between the wheel and driving-gear seats of a railway axle were systematically investigated using the finite element method. The parametric analyses considered crack-depth-to-local-wall-thickness ratios of a/t = 0.08, 0.10, and 0.12, crack-depth-to-crack-length ratios of a/c = 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, crack inclination angles of α = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, and crack deflection angles of β = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°. The KI, KII, and KIII components were calculated along the crack front using the Interaction Integral method. The results showed that crack inclination (α) has a pronounced effect on the magnitude and distribution of the SIF components, with increasing inclination generally reducing KI and enhancing KII and KIII at intermediate angles. Increasing inclination also caused the crack front SIF distributions to become less symmetric. In contrast, changes in crack deflection angle (β) generally preserved the approximately symmetric character of the crack front distributions. At α = 0°, the highest KI values were obtained, whereas the absolute values of KII and KIII reached their highest levels for crack orientations around α = 45°. Furthermore, as the β angle increased, KI decreased while KII and KIII increased, with this effect becoming limited beyond β = 30°.

Özet

Demiryolu dingillerinin S-geçiş bölgeleri, geometrik süreksizlikler ve karmaşık gerilme dağılımları nedeniyle çatlak oluşumu ve ilerlemesi açısından kritik bölgeler arasında yer almaktadır. Bu çalışmada, demiryolu dingilinin tekerlek ve tahrik dişlisinin dingil üzerindeki oturma yerleri arasında bulunan S-geçiş bölgesindeki üç boyutlu yüzey çatlaklarının gerilme şiddet faktörleri (GŞF) sonlu elemanlar yöntemi kullanılarak sistematik olarak incelenmiştir. Parametrik analizlerde çatlak derinliğinin yerel radyal et kalınlığına oranı a/t = 0,08, 0,10 ve 0,12, çatlak derinliğinin çatlak uzunluğuna oranı a/c = 0,5, 1,0 ve 1,5, çatlak eğim açıları α = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90° ve çatlak sapma açıları β = 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° olarak ele alınmıştır. Etkileşim integrali yöntemiyle çatlak önü boyunca elde edilen KI, KII ve KIII değerleri değerlendirilmiştir. Sonuçlar, çatlak eğim açısının (α) GŞF bileşenlerinin büyüklüğü ve dağılımı üzerinde belirgin etkisi olduğunu ve eğim açısının artmasıyla çatlak önü dağılımlarının simetrikliğinin bozulduğunu göstermiştir. Buna karşılık, çatlak sapma açısındaki (β) değişimlerde GŞF dağılımları çatlak merkezine göre yaklaşık simetrik kalmıştır. α = 0° durumunda en yüksek KI değerleri elde edilirken, α = 45° civarındaki çatlak yönelimlerinde KII ve KIII değerlerinin mutlak büyüklükleri en yüksek seviyelere ulaşmıştır. Ayrıca β açısının artmasıyla KI azalırken KII ve KIII artmış, bu etkinin β = 30° sonrasında sınırlanmaya başladığı görülmüştür.

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Cite This Article

Demir, O. (2026). Effect of Crack Size and Orientation on Stress Intensity Factors of Three-Dimensional Cracks in the S-Transition Region of a Railway Axle. Demiryolu Mühendisliği, Sayı: 25. https://doi.org/10.47072/demiryolu.2020448

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