What are the properties of 55Q material?
55Q is a medium-carbon steel known for high strength, hardness, and excellent wear resistance, making it ideal for light railway tracks in mines and factories, with typical tensile strength around 685 MPa, high hardness (≥ 197 HBW), and a carbon content of 0.50-0.60%, offering superior performance and durability compared to lower-carbon steels like Q235, though at a higher cost.
Key Properties:
- High Strength & Hardness: Its higher carbon content provides superior load-bearing capacity and wear resistance for demanding environments.
- Good Wear Resistance: Excellent for applications with frequent friction, such as mining tracks.
- Machinability: While strong, it remains machinable using standard methods.
- Applications: Commonly used for light railway tracks in mines, factories, and industrial settings, offering stable performance for small locomotives and vehicles.
| 55Q | Mechanical property | Chemical composition(%) | |||||||||
| Yield strength | Tensile strength | Elongation | Hardness | C | Si | Mn | S | P | |||
| MPa | kg/mm² | MPa | kg/mm² | min | HBW | ≤ | ≤ | ||||
| ≥ | ≥ | ≥ | ≥ | ≥ | |||||||
| 685 | 69 | 197 | 0.50-0.60 | 0.15-0.35 | 0.60-0.90 | 0.04 | 0.04 | ||||
What types of rails are manufactured using 55Q steel?
55Q steel is primarily used for light steel rails (LSG), especially for tracks in demanding environments like underground mines, factories, and forestry operations, as well as for some low-speed urban light rail and tram systems, offering superior hardness and wear resistance compared to standard Q235 steel for smaller locomotive and vehicle applications. Common sizes include GB12KG, GB15KG, GB22KG, and GB30KG, often used for P12, P15, P22, P30 designations, and can also be found in some ASCE standards (like ASCE30, ASCE50) for mining.
Key Applications & Types:
- Mining Railways: Its high strength and abrasion resistance make it ideal for heavy-duty use in tunnels and open pits.
- Industrial Tracks: Used in factories and forests for transporting materials.
- Light Rail & Urban Transit: Suitable for light rail, trams, and subways where durability against smaller loads is needed.
- Chinese GB Standards: Common in GB11264-89 standards for weights like 12kg/m, 15kg/m, 22kg/m, and 30kg/m.
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| 22 KG/M | 93.66 | 50.8 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | |
| 24 KG/M | 107 | 51 | 90 | 10.9 | 24.46 | |
| 30 KG/M | 107.95 | 60.33 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | |
- American ASCE Standards: Used for sizes such as ASCE30, ASCE40, and ASCE50, particularly in mining.
| ype of Rail | Dimensions mm | Steel Grade | Weight | |||
| Rail height/A | Bottom Width/F | Head Width/C | Web Thickness/t | kg/m | ||
| ASCE25 | 69.85 | 69.85 | 38.1 | 7.54 | 55Q | 12.2 |
| ASCE30 | 79.37 | 79.37 | 42.86 | 8.33 | 55Q | 15.2 |
| ASCE40 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 47.6 | 9.9 | 55Q | 19.84 |
| ASCE50 | 98.43 | 98.43 | 54 | 11.11 | 55Q | 24.855 |
| ASCE60 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 60.33 | 12.3 | 55Q | 30.1 |
| ASCE70 | 117.48 | 117.48 | 61.91 | 13.1 | 55Q | 34.5 |
| ASCE80 | 127 | 127 | 63.5 | 13.89 | U71Mn | 39.82 |
| ASCE85 | 131.76 | 131.76 | 65.09 | 14.29 | U71Mn | 42.3 |
Since 2008, GNEE RAIL has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE produces high quality steel rails that meet with requirements of most countries. Standard rail, head hardened rail, heavy rail,light rail,crane rail and other types are all available here, as one of the China main rail supplier, GNEE RAIL has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.