Effect of Nb-V Alloying on the Microstructure and Properties of High Manganese Steel Frog

Author of the article:YAN Zehui1 , XU Bin2 , SUN Junjie2

Author's Workplace：1. Turnouts Research Institute, Technology Center, China Railway Baoji Bridge Group Co., Ltd., Baoji 721006, China; 2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behaviour of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China

Key Words：high manganese steel; explosion hardening; alloying; wear-resisting property

Abstract：Alloying of common high manganese steel Mn13 by Nb and V and their effect on microstructure and properties have been studied. The results show that due to the large of very fine and hard Nb(C,N) and V(C,N) particles precipitated, the grain of Nb-V alloyed high manganese steel frog is refined 1~2 grades compared to that of common Mn13 steel frog. Compared with the common ZGMn13 frog, the mechanical properties of Nb and V alloyed high manganese steel frog are improved effectively, the yield strength, tensile strength and impact energy are increased by 28% , 11% and 10% respectively. The improved properties inhibit the initiation of horizontal cracks in the point rail during service caused by explosion hardening. The service life of Nb-V alloyed high manganese steel frog is increased from original 150 million tons to more 250 million tons.