Application of Moiré interferometry to reconstruction of residual stress in cut railroad car wheels

Railroad car wheels develop residual stresses both in their manufacture and while in service. Knowledge of the residual stress distribution and its variation over time is necessary for the prediction of wheel service life and possible catastrophic failure. It is also vital for the safety of railway transportation. Although a theoretical solution is possible, it remains complex. Alternatively, the solution may be also obtained by using experimental measurements assisted by the theory of mechanics. An approach known as “physically-based enhancement of experimental data” formulated and subsequently developed and tested is the best available experimental–numerical tool for the reconstruction of acquired residual hoop stress component in railroad car wheels. This paper presents the formulation, approach and results of the analysis performed on experimental data obtained from investigations of the passenger and freight wheels during a saw cutting process. A discussion on the precision of the results has been included.