Abstract: A rail comprises a predetermined chemical composition. In a hardness distribution in a region from a rail head surface to a depth of 16.0 mm, a part having higher hardness than V1 that is minimum hardness in a first internal region is present in a second internal region, and hardness of the rail head surface is HBW 400 to 520 and average hardness in the region from the rail head surface to the depth of 16.0 mm is HBW 350 or more.

Abstract: There are provided an apparatus for cooling a rail and a method for manufacturing a rail, capable of inexpensively manufacturing a rail with high hardness and high toughness. The apparatus for cooling a rail, configured to jet a cooling medium to the head portion and foot portion of a rail in an austenite temperature range to forcibly cool the rail, includes: a first cooling unit including plural first cooling headers configured to jet the cooling medium as gas to the head top face and head side of the head portion, and first driving units configured to move at least one first cooling header of the plural first cooling headers to change the jet distance of the cooling medium jetted from the first cooling header; and a second cooling unit including a second cooling header configured to jet the cooling medium as gas to the foot portion.

Abstract: A method of producing a steel material, wherein when a cooling apparatus having a plurality of cooling sections disposed side by side in a longitudinal direction of a steel material cools the steel material hot worked or cooled/reheated, the steel material is conveyed at a conveyance distance Lo (m) satisfying Equation (1), in one direction along with the longitudinal direction of the steel material, in the cooling apparatus, wherein Lo is defined as conveyance distance (m) of steel material, m is a natural number, and Lh is defined as length (m) of cooling sections in longitudinal direction of steel material: (m?0.20)×Lh?Lo(m+0.20)×Lh??(1).

Abstract: There are provided an apparatus for cooling a rail and a method for manufacturing a rail, capable of inexpensively manufacturing a rail with high hardness and high toughness. The apparatus for cooling a rail, configured to jet a cooling medium to the head portion and foot portion of a rail in an austenite temperature range to forcibly cool the rail, includes: a first cooling unit including plural first cooling headers configured to jet the cooling medium as gas to the head top face and head side of the head portion, and first driving units configured to move at least one first cooling header of the plural first cooling headers to change the jet distance of the cooling medium jetted from the first cooling header; and a second cooling unit including a second cooling header configured to jet the cooling medium as gas to the foot portion.

Abstract: Rail-manufacturing equipment that performs forced cooling on at least a head of a hot rail hot-rolled at or heated to the austenite region temperature or higher. The rail-manufacturing equipment includes a head-cooling header configured to jet a cooling medium toward the head of the rail, a head thermometer configured to measure surface temperature of the head of the rail, and a controller configured to adjust jet of the cooling medium from the head-cooling header. The controller includes a temperature-monitoring unit configured to monitor measurement results by the head thermometer during the forced cooling, and a cooling-rate controller.

Abstract: A manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a head hardened rail to which various alloy elements are added and which is excellent in hardness and toughness of a head portion surface layer. The method includes, when forcibly cooling at least a head portion of a hot-rolled rail or a heated rail, starting the forcible cooling from a state where a surface temperature of the head portion of the rail is not less than an austenite range temperature, and performing the forcible cooling at a cooling rate of 10° C./sec or more until the surface temperature reaches 500° C. or more and 700° C. or less after the forcible cooling is started.

Abstract: A rail-manufacturing method according to the present invention performs forced cooling on at least a head of a hot rail hot-rolled at or heated to the austenite region temperature or higher. The forced cooling is performed for 10 seconds from start of the forced cooling so that the cooling rate at the head surface becomes 1° C./s or higher to 20° C./s or lower, the forced cooling is performed after a lapse of 10 seconds from the start of the forced cooling until heat generation during transformation begins in the head surface so that the cooling rate at the head surface becomes 1° C./s or higher to 5° C./s or lower, the forced cooling is performed during transformation from beginning to end of the heat generation during transformation so that the cooling rate at the head surface becomes lower than 1° C./s or the temperature-rising rate becomes 5° C./s or lower, and the forced cooling is performed after the end of the heat generation during transformation until the rail-head surface temperature becomes 450° C.

Abstract: Rail manufacturing method performs, on at least a head of the rail that is hot after hot-rolled at an austenite region temperature or higher or after heated to the austenite region temperature or higher, forced cooling: for 10 seconds from start of the forced cooling so that a cooling rate at a surface of the head becomes 1° C./s to 20° C./s; during a period after a lapse of 10 seconds from the start until heat generation during transformation begins at the surface so that the cooling rate becomes 1° C./s to 5° C./s; during transformation from beginning to end of the heat generation during transformation so that the cooling rate becomes lower than 1° C./s or a temperature-rising rate becomes 5° C./s or lower; and during a period after the end of the heat generation during transformation until temperature at the surface becomes 450° C. or lower so that the cooling rate becomes 1° C./s to 20° C./s.

Abstract: A method of producing a steel material, wherein when a cooling apparatus having a plurality of cooling sections disposed side by side in a longitudinal direction of a steel material cools the steel material hot worked or cooled/reheated, the steel material is conveyed at a conveyance distance Lo (m) satisfying Equation (1), in one direction along with the longitudinal direction of the steel material, in the cooling apparatus, wherein Lo is defined as conveyance distance (m) of steel material, m is a natural number, and Lh is defined as length (m) of cooling sections in longitudinal direction of steel material: (m?0.20)×Lh?Lo?(m+0.20)×Lh??(1).

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a rail having high ductility in both a head portion and a foot portion. A heated steel rail material is hot-rolled, the temperature is adjusted by cooling the hot-rolled steel rail material, the steel rail material subjected to the temperature adjustment is processed into a rail shape by means of temperature-adjusted rolling at an area reduction ratio of 20% or more, and, in adjusting the temperature of the steel rail material, the surface portions of the steel rail material corresponding to a head portion and a foot portion of the rail shape so that the temperatures of the surface portions reach 500° C. or more and 1,000° C. or less.

Abstract: A manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a head hardened rail to which various alloy elements are added and which is excellent in hardness and toughness of a head portion surface layer. The method includes, when forcibly cooling at least a head portion of a hot-rolled rail or a heated rail, starting the forcible cooling from a state where a surface temperature of the head portion of the rail is not less than an austenite range temperature, and performing the forcible cooling at a cooling rate of 10° C./sec or more until the surface temperature reaches 500° C. or more and 700° C. or less after the forcible cooling is started.

Abstract: Rail manufacturing method performs, on at least a head of the rail that is hot after hot-rolled at an austenite region temperature or higher or after heated to the austenite region temperature or higher, forced cooling: for 10 seconds from start of the forced cooling so that a cooling rate at a surface of the head becomes 1° C./s to 20° C./s; during a period after a lapse of 10 seconds from the start until heat generation during transformation begins at the surface so that the cooling rate becomes 1° C./s to 5° C./s; during transformation from beginning to end of the heat generation during transformation so that the cooling rate becomes lower than 1° C./s or a temperature-rising rate becomes 5° C./s or lower; and during a period after the end of the heat generation during transformation until temperature at the surface becomes 450° C. or lower so that the cooling rate becomes 1° C./s to 20° C./s.

Abstract: A rail restraining method for restraining a hot-rolled rail in an upright position at a time of forced cooling of a head portion and a foot portion of the rail includes defining a predetermined position within 2 meters from each of both end faces of the rail along a longitudinal direction of the rail as a first restraining position, defining a predetermined position 3 to 10 meters from the first restraining position in a direction toward center of the rail along the longitudinal direction of the rail as a second restraining position at the time of forced cooling, and restraining displacement of the rail in a vertical direction at the first restraining position and the second restraining position by a restraining force F (kN) that satisfies following Expression (1): F?100/L2??(1) where L2 (m) is a distance between the first restraining position and the second restraining position.