The work in this thesis comprehensively investigates the effects of non-uniform material behaviour exhibited by head-hardened Australian rail steel on ratcheting, wear and rolling-contact fatigue. As a result, this research develops novel approaches to characterising rolling-contact fatigue utilising wear debris and surface replication. Furthermore, calibration of material parameters was conducted to obtain a unified material model to elucidate the non-uniform mechanical behaviour of rail steel. All these methods draw attention to the need to refine track maintenance and re-railing practices related to Australian rail steel.
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