PSI - Issue 77

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Procedia Structural Integrity 77 (2026) 657–664 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000

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© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers Abstract Railway vehicles operate under variable amplitude dynamic loads throughout their long service lives, making fatigue a critical design consideration for welded details. As a common structural material, steel exhibits an outstanding sensitivity to fatigue phe nomena when subjected to cyclic loading. Despite this issue, the sector lacks a unified accepted reference standard for fatigue assessment. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the principal design references applied to steel railway components, namely ERRI B 12 / RP60, EN 12663, DVS 1612, EN 17149-3, EN 1993-1-9, and the IIW Recommendations. The comparison addresses load scenarios, stress definitions (nominal, hot-spot, and notch approaches), reference survival probabilities, and verifi cation philosophies. Four representative welded details from a freight wagon are assessed using numerical stress histories within each framework, with verification criteria being contrasted to evaluate practical implications. The results indicate that railway specific design codes, particularly DVS 1612 and EN 17149-3 standard, provide more tailored and accurate fatigue verification than generic codes. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. Keywords: Railway vehicles; Fatigue; Welded joints; DVS 1612; EN 17149-3; ERRI B 12 / RP60. International Conference on Structural Integrity A Standards-Based Comparison on Fatigue Design in Railway Steel Components Joa˜o Nuno Silva a, ∗ , V´ıtor M. G. Gomes b , Anto´nio Moura˜o a , Pedro Montenegro a , Jose´ A.F.O Correia a , Ab´ılio de Jesus c a CONSTRUCT, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal b Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal c LAETA, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal Abstract Railway vehicles operate under variable amplitude dynamic loads throughout their long service lives, making fatigue a critical design consideration for welded details. As a common structural material, steel exhibits an outstanding sensitivity to fatigue phe nomena when subjected to cyclic loading. Despite this issue, the sector lacks a unified accepted reference standard for fatigue assessment. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the principal design references applied to steel railway components, namely ERRI B 12 / RP60, EN 12663, DVS 1612, EN 17149-3, EN 1993-1-9, and the IIW Recommendations. The comparison addresses load scenarios, stress definitions (nominal, hot-spot, and notch approaches), reference survival probabilities, and verifi cation philosophies. Four representative welded details from a freight wagon are assessed using numerical stress histories within each framework, with verification criteria being contrasted to evaluate practical implications. The results indicate that railway specific design codes, particularly DVS 1612 and EN 17149-3 standard, provide more tailored and accurate fatigue verification than generic codes. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. Keywords: Railway vehicles; Fatigue; Welded joints; DVS 1612; EN 17149-3; ERRI B 12 / RP60. International Conference on Structural Integrity A Standards-Based Comparison on Fatigue Design in Railway Steel Components Joa˜o Nuno Silva a, ∗ , V´ıtor M. G. Gomes b , Anto´nio Moura˜o a , Pedro Montenegro a , Jose´ A.F.O Correia a , Ab´ılio de Jesus c a CONSTRUCT, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal b Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal c LAETA, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

1. Introduction 1. Introduction

Railway systems comprise interacting subsystems, infrastructure, and rolling stock that must deliver durability and safety under demanding service conditions. Rolling stock is classified by the European standard EN 12663-1 (2010) into locomotives, passenger vehicles, freight wagons, and other vehicles, providing a structural basis for requirements and verification. Rolling stock structures can be manufactured from diverse metallic materials, selected according to functional and service requirements. High-strength steels are commonly employed in axles, running gear, and coupler components Railway systems comprise interacting subsystems, infrastructure, and rolling stock that must deliver durability and safety under demanding service conditions. Rolling stock is classified by the European standard EN 12663-1 (2010) into locomotives, passenger vehicles, freight wagons, and other vehicles, providing a structural basis for requirements and verification. Rolling stock structures can be manufactured from diverse metallic materials, selected according to functional and service requirements. High-strength steels are commonly employed in axles, running gear, and coupler components

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.01.081 ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: jnsilva@fe.up.pt 2210-7843 © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: jnsilva@fe.up.pt 2210-7843 © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers.