Development of new rolling technologies for rail axle forgings

Project title: Development of new rolling technologies for rail axle forgings

Agreement number: LIDER/9/0060/L-12/20/NCBR/2021

Edition of the competition: XII

Project implementation period: 01.01.2022 - 01.01.2025

Project value: 1 466 831,25 PLN

Principal Investigator: dr inż. Tomasz Bulzak

Abstract: The project  is implemented in the scientific discipline of Mechanical Engineering. It involves the development of two new technologies for rolling rail axle forgings. The first rolling technology will be based on the ross wedge rolling method. The other rolling technology will be based on an innovative skew rolling technique in which computerized numerical control (CNC) is used to implement incremental movements of rolling tools. The programmed movement of the rolling tools combined with the axial movement of the billet makes it possible to form any axisymmetric products. The research will be carried out in three stages. The first stage will involve the development of the technologies and their initial verification via FEM numerical modeling. In the second stage, experiments will be carried out in laboratory conditions to verify the developed technologies and to produce axle forgings for further research. In the last stage, tests (strength, fatigue, microstructural) will be carried out to determine the suitability of the produced rail axle forgings for practical applications.