Caracterización de capa blanca y marrón promovidas por un proceso de esmerilado a baja escala en laboratorio
Palabras clave:
WEL, BEL, Molienda, Perlita, Propiedades mecánicasBarra lateral del artículo
Aceptado 2025-12-01
Publicado 2026-01-20
Contenido principal del artículo
Objetivos: El objetivo principal de este estudio fue promover la formación de capas de ataque blanco y marrón (White Etching Layer, WEL, y Brown Etching Layer, BEL) en acero perlítico R260 mediante un proceso de rectificado controlado en laboratorio, con el fin de analizar los cambios microestructurales y mecánicos desde la superficie hasta el material base.
Materiales y métodos: Se utilizó acero perlítico R260 empleado en la fabricación de rieles ferroviarios. Las capas transformadas se generaron mediante un proceso de rectificado controlado. La caracterización microestructural se realizó mediante microscopía óptica (LOM) y microscopía electrónica de barrido (SEM). La caracterización mecánica se llevó a cabo mediante ensayos de microdureza y nanoindentación desde la superficie rectificada hacia el volumen del material. Posteriormente, la zona WEL fue analizada mediante microscopía electrónica de transmisión (TEM) para identificar los cambios microestructurales en las diferentes zonas afectadas por el rectificado.
Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que es posible distinguir la WEL de la BEL no solo por sus características morfológicas observadas mediante LOM y SEM, sino también por sus propiedades mecánicas. Ambas capas presentaron valores de dureza y módulo de Young significativamente superiores a los del material base perlítico.
Conclusiones: Las transformaciones microestructurales inducidas por el rectificado se identificaron visualmente como WEL y BEL a través de variaciones en el contraste y la textura observadas mediante LOM y SEM. Estas capas se extendieron desde la superficie rectificada hasta profundidades cercanas a 30 µm y presentaron respuestas mecánicas diferenciadas, asociadas a cambios microestructurales intrínsecos generados por el proceso de rectificado.
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