Procedure for reliable durability validation of train axles

Abstract The structural durability of wheelset axles depends on the operational loading as well as on the fatigue strength of axles. To validate an axle design the time‐varying stresses in individual critical areas of the axle, represented by their stress spectra, must be taken into account. The allowable stresses in individual axle areas depend both on the fatigue strength and on the spectrum of operational stresses. The procedure for the axle structural durability validation, presented in this paper, includes the numerical fatigue life estimation as well as the experimental durability approval. Also the influences of axle design, material properties and manufacturing technology on structural durability are discussed.