The performances of a thermally sprayed Fe/Ni composite coating to resist fretting fatigue under rotational bending loads

► The thermally sprayed Fe/Ni coating was prepared on the railway axles. ► Fatigue experiments simulating the actual assembled axle and wheel were conducted. ► The coating increased the fretting fatigue strength more than 50% under rotational bending load. ► The effects of the coating and the interface on resisting axle fretting fatigue were investigated.