ABSTRACT

This paper mainly deals with corrosion that occurs in under frame of Indian railway coaches,
causes of corrosion, steps taken to prevent corrosion, suggestions to minimize this problem. The
paper contains new suggestions to mitigate the problem; more emphasis has been laid on welding
and anodizing which are being done perfunctorily, the various pros and cons of using aluminum
instead of stainless steel for under frame has been explicated. Although corrosion cannot be
mitigated with NDT (non-destructive testing) sampling can be done before installation. The
importance of pitting resistance equivalent number is conveyed. Welding distortion that occurs
when aluminum is used has been composed. Also residual stresses that occur as a consequence
of welding have been adumbrated. The corrosion behavior of silica hybrid coatings produced
from basic catalyzed sols by dipping and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) onto stainless steel AISI
304 has been explicated. Importance of surface preparation and surface modifications has been
silhouetted.
Key words
: Detection & Monitoring, Coatings & Surface Treatments , pitting corrosion, NDT, austenitic
stainless steel.
 INTRODUCTION

The annual loss for India, on account of corrosion is around Rupees 35 crores .Corrosion is the
destruction of a material by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. Under
frame is the main part in a coach that is subjected to corrosion because of the presence of
lavatory. Mechanical strength is reduced and the section ultimately fails if extensive corrosion
occurs. Corrosion and its control is an important, but often neglected, element in the practice of
engineering. Taking care right from the material selection to successful operation, adhering to the
guidelines is the only possible way to minimize losses due to corrosion.
Corrosion is a term related to material deterioration mechanism, which may induce flaws
affecting the health of a component. If these flaws are not detected at the right time, they may
lead to the failure if the component resulting in loss in productivity and threat to safety. To this
effect, Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques viz. eddy current, ultrasonic ,radiography,
acoustic emission, thermography etc. have a significant role to play in the detection and
monitoring of corrosion. Water percolation from toilet is one of the main causes for corrosive
environment in under frame.

Coaches are susceptible to marine atmospheric corrosion and industrial atmospheric corrosion.
Causes of Corrosion in Indian Railway Coaches:
1. Water seepage through the flooring to the top of trough floor.
2. Leakage of water through lavatory flooring.
3. Missing of corrode chute and drain pipe.
4. Defective water pipe fittings.
5. Absence of surface preparation during replacement of commode and drain pipes.
6. Habits of flushing the flooring with the water jet for cleaning.
7. The condition of air trapped in between trough floor and flooring due to climate changes.
8. Striking of flying ballast when the train is running.
9. Design of window seal leaves the gap between the side panel to allow the rain water flow
through the panel and to drain out at the bottom.
10. Blockage of drain water by accumulated dust on top of trough floor.

Areas Subject To High Rate Of Corrosion In Passenger Coaches Are:

1. Trough floor: areas adjacent to lavatory, doorways, luggage compartment in SLR (sleeper) and
kitchen area of pantry car.
2. Side wall bottom: area below lavatory and between body side pillars.
3. Body pillars: bottom portion of pillar near doorways and lavatory area.
4. Cross bearers: joint between sole bar and cross bearers.
5. Body side door: bottom of door due to accumulation of dust.
6. Battery boxes: corrosion due to acid action.
7. Roof: ventilator and area around it.

Steps Taken To Overcome Corrosion:

In order to overcome corrosion, the following steps are carried out:
a) Use of HSLA (IRS: M – 41 – 97) i.e. CORTEN STEEL.
b) Surface preparation and painting.
c) Use of corrosion resistant material like stainless steel.
d) phosphate and anodizing (oxidation of aluminum).
Use of HSLA (IRS: M – 41 – 97) Steel: The high carbon steels are not widely used for structural
work due to its lack of ductility and weld ability. For this purpose HSLA steels are used which has
high or excellent ductility, yield strength and weld ability which is obtained by decreasing the
carbon content and adding alloying elements. These steels have good atmospheric corrosion
resistance. CORTEN steel is an acronym for corrosion resistant high tensile steel.

Surface Preparation: The most important single factor influencing the life of paint is the proper
preparation of the metal surface. Surface preparation consists of 2 main parts. Initial cleaning can
be accomplished by using solvents or alkaline solutions. Rust and mill scale are removed by either
pickling or blasting.

Grit Blasting: The main surface preparation being carried out is grit blasting. Grit blasting is mainly
carried out for adhesiveness of paint and for derusting. Grit blasting is of oriented grit type
involving enormous pressure. By grit blasting the scale is removed by high velocity particles
impelled by an air blast or by a high velocity wheel. Blast materials usually consist of sand or
sometimes of steel grit, silicon carbide, alumina, refractory slag or rock wool by products.

Use of Corrosion Resistant Material like Stainless Steel:

Role of Chromium and Nickel:
1. The primary role of chromium is to provide a self-forming protective film for corrosion
resistance.
2. Nickel stabilizes the austenitic structure.
Austenitic stainless steels are basically non-magnetic in nature. These steels are not hardened
able by common heat treatment practices. However these steels harden at a rapid rate by cold
working. Austenitic grades exhibit excellent corrosion resistance.
Under frame is the main part prone to corrosion in coaches because of the presence of
lavatory. Stainless steel can resist corrosion in coastal, saline and other chloride bearing
environment. Since nickel containing stainless steel does not need painting, the threat of
noxious fumes is minimized.
Stainless Steel versus Corten Steel –
Serial number Description Cost in rupees Cost in rupees
AC/EMUA,C or D AC/EMU motor coach
1. Cost with the use of 2,58,939 2,54,868
stainless steel
materials
2. Cost with the use of 1,09,188 1,07,471
corten steel materials
3. Increase in cost 1,49,751 1,47,397
Thus the use of stainless steel is restricted due to financial implication.

Anodizing: Anodizing is an electrochemical process that thickens and toughens the naturally
occurring protective oxide, renders surface hardness, abrasion resistance is increased (during
sealing), corrosion resistant.

Cost of Periodic Overhaul (POH) of one coach every 12 months – 18 months.

It costs the Indian Railways about 3-4 lakh Rupees for POH of each coach.
In a POH, the broken parts are repaired, light bulbs/tubes replaced, torn seats replaced,
suspension overhauled, batteries replaced, wiring repaired if needed, additional charging plug
points provided and the coach is repainted.
Coaches being deployed in trains running in the division are being subjected to maintenance
and repair every nine months, thereby ensuring compliance with required standards.
The coaches are regularly maintained in the coaching depots as per the prescribed
maintenance schedule on completion of every round trip.
In addition, the intermediate overhauling (IOH) is done every nine months in the nominated
Coaching Depots and Periodical Overhauling (POH) is done every 18 months in various
Workshops of the Southern Railway.
During IOH & POH, the coaches are critically examined for corrosion, structural damage,
stability and ensuring the fitness of the coaches for its safe run. The coaches are being put into
service only after ensuring compliance with maintenance standards.
“The rule does not allow compartments with over 20 years of age to be used for Express trains.
At the best they can be used in ordinary trains as the railways have now increased the maximum
coach life to 25 years,” said a railway employee with the Mechanical division.
TYPES OF COACHES USED IN RAILWAYS

ICF coaches:

- ICF stands for "Integral Coach Factory" which is one of the railways' main coach production plants.

-The Integral Coach Factory is located in Perambur near Chennai.

-The ICF design refers to the conventional design of coaches seen across trains in India.

LHB coaches:

Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches are the passenger compartments of Indian Railways that have been
developed by Linke Hofmann Busch of Germany (now Alstom).
 CONCLUSIONS

Corrosion can be mitigated by avoiding perfunctory welding, ameliorating surface preparation,

and modification techniques, carrying out more corrosion prevention trials, deploying
aluminum instead of stainless steel, implementing advance corrosion technology through
research and development. Chromic acid can be employed rather than using sulfuric acid in
anodizing.
Use of stainless steel is restricted due to
(i) Financial implication.
(ii) Inadequate manufacturers of stainless in India.
Silica hybrid coatings can be taken up as a trial measure. Thus corrosion can be minimized
through judicious selection of materials and through proper practices and maintenance.
Although salt spray test gives a simulated environment, PREN can be calculated.