Abstract: The wear behavior of the bainitic steel used for crossings with electrochemical hydrogen charging are investigated by the wear testing machine, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and comparing with the high manganese steel. The results indicate that hydrogen can significantly improve the wear resistance of the bainitic steel. The wear resistance of the bainitic steel is obviously higher than the high manganese steel. The main wear mechanism of the bainitic crossing steel at lower load is the abrasive wear, and the adhesive wear at higher load. Hydrogen can reduce the stability of retained austenite in the bainitic crossing steel, and hydrogen promotes that the retained austenite phase occurs strain-induced martensitic transformation in the wear process. The hardness of the wear surfaces evidently increases. Therefore, the wear resistance of the bainitic crossing steel is enhanced.

Key words: Bainitic steel, Hydrogen, Martensitic transformation, Railroad crossing, Wear