Paint Coating Technologies for Railway Axles-Current State and Development Directions
Wojciech PAULI, Norbert RADEK
Abstract. This paper presents a review of current paint coating systems used for protecting railway axles. It discusses normative requirements (EN 13261 [1], DB TL 918 300 [2], ISO 9466 [3], IK 001/2024 [4]) and the test methods used to assess protective and adhesive properties of coatings. One- and two-layer systems are compared, with their advantages and limitations indicated. The final part describes development directions, including thermo-sensitive coatings and systems with reduced or increased thickness, as a response to growing operational and environmental requirements.
Keywords
Railway Axles, Protective Coatings, Corrosion Resistance, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Epoxy–Polyurethane Systems, Thermo-Indicating Coatings, Impact Resistance (Gritting Resistance), Smart Maintenance, Defence Transport Applications
Published online 1/25/2026, 9 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Wojciech PAULI, Norbert RADEK, Paint Coating Technologies for Railway Axles-Current State and Development Directions, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 62, pp 343-351, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904015-44
The article was published as article 44 of the book Terotechnology XIV
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] CEN. EN 13261:2020 – Railway applications – Axles – Product requirements. CEN, Brussels, 2020.
[2] Deutsche Bahn AG Systemtechnik. DB TL 918 300 Blatt 11 – Anstrichstoffe für Eisenbahnfahrzeuge – Beschichtungsstoff für Güterwagenradsätze (Korrosionsschutzgruppe 3 nach EN 13261). Deutsche Bahn AG, Berlin, 2023.
[3] ISO. ISO 9466:2025 – Railway applications – Coating of passenger rail vehicles. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, 2025.
[4] Instytut Kolejnictwa. IK 001/2024 – Requirements and test methods for paint coatings applied to railway axles and bogies. Warsaw, 2024.
[5] CEN. EN 13260:2021 – Railway applications – Wheelsets and bogies – Wheelsets – Product requirements. CEN, Brussels, 2021.
[6] CEN. EN 13262:2021 – Railway applications – Wheelsets and bogies – Wheels – Product requirements. CEN, Brussels, 2021.
[7] CEN. EN ISO 2808:2020 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of film thickness. CEN, Brussels, 2020.
[8] CEN. EN ISO 2409:2021 – Paints and varnishes – Cross-cut test for adhesion. CEN, Brussels, 2021.
[9] CEN. EN ISO 4624:2016 – Paints and varnishes – Pull-off test for adhesion. CEN, Brussels, 2016.
[10] CEN. EN ISO 9227:2017 – Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres – Salt spray tests. CEN, Brussels, 2017.
[11] ISO. ISO 16773:2016 – Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for coated metals. ISO, Geneva, 2016.
[12] CEN. EN ISO 20567-1:2017 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of stone-chip resistance – Part 1: Multi-impact testing. CEN, Brussels, 2017.
[13] CEN. EN ISO 2812-1:2023 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of resistance to liquids – Part 1: Immersion in liquids other than water. CEN, Brussels, 2023.
[14] CEN. EN ISO 2812-2:2013 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of resistance to liquids – Part 2: Effects of immersion in water. CEN, Brussels, 2013.
[15] CEN. EN ISO 6272-1:2012 – Paints and varnishes – Rapid deformation (impact resistance) tests – Falling weight method. CEN, Brussels, 2012.
[16] CEN. EN ISO 6270-2:2017 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of resistance to humidity (condensation) – Part 2: Continuous condensation. CEN, Brussels, 2017.
[17] Lucchini RS Group. Wheelset Protection and Coating Systems – Technical Brochure. Lucchini RS, Lovere, 2013.
[18] Crebonit Group. CGRP-M-RAIL-2-EN, Creborail Transportation Coating Systems. Crebonit, Graz, 2021.
[19] Deutsche Bahn Systemtechnik. DB-qualifizierte Nasslacke nach DBS 918 300. Deutsche Bahn Systemtechnik, Berlin, 2023. [Online] Available: https://www.db-systemtechnik.de/dbst-de/assets/unser-technisches-know-how/oberflaechentechnik-12935210
[20] J. Korzekwa et al., Tribological behaviour of Al2O3/inorganic fullerene-like WS2 composite layer sliding against plastic, International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering 10 (2016) 570-584. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSURFSE.2016.081035
[21] N. Radek et al., Operational properties of DLC coatings and their potential application, METAL 2022 – 31st Int. Conf. Metall. Mater., (2022) 531-536. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2022.4491
[22] N. Radek et al., Influence of laser texturing on tribological properties of DLC coatings, Production Engineering Archives 27 (2021) 119-123. https://doi.org/10.30657/pea.2021.27.15
[23] W. Zórawski et al., Plasma-sprayed composite coatings with reduced friction coefficient, Surface and Coatings Technology 202 (2008) 4578-4582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2008.04.026
[24] N. Radek et al., The effect of laser beam processing on the properties of WC-Co coatings deposited on steel, Materials 14 (2021) art. 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030538
[25] N. Radek et al., The effect of laser treatment on operational properties of ESD coatings, METAL 2021 – 30th Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2021) 876-882. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2021.4212
[26] N. Radek, Determining the operational properties of steel beaters after electrospark deposition, Eksploatacja i Niezawodnosc 44 (2009) 10-16.
[27] D. Siwiec et al., Improving the Non-Destructive Testing Process of the Outer Bearing Ring, Materials Research Proceedings 24 (2022) 174-180. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902059-26
[28] M. Patek et al., Non-destructive testing of split sleeve welds by the ultrasonic TOFD method, Manufacturing Technology 14 (2014) 403-407.
[29] A. Gądek-Moszczak et al., Nano X-ray Tomography Application for Quantitative Surface Layer Geometry Analysis after Laser Beam Modification, Materials 15 (2022) art. 5935. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15175935
[30] D. Nowakowski et al., Application of machine learning in the analysis of surface quality – the detection the surface layer damage of the vehicle body, METAL 2021 – 30th Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2021) 864-869. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2021.4210
[31] N. Radek, R. Dwornicka, Fire properties of intumescent coating systems for the rolling stock, Communications – Scientific Letters of the University of Žilina 22 (2020) 90-96. https://doi.org/10.26552/com.C.2020.4.90-96
[32] J. Pietraszek, A. Goroshko, The heuristic approach to the selection of experimental design, model and valid pre-processing transformation of DoE outcome, Advanced Materials Research 874 (2014) 145-149. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.874.145
[33] R. Dwornicka et al., Fuzzy Statistics-Aided Inference in Experimental Design, World Congr. Comp. Mechanics ECCOMAS Congr. (2024). https://doi.org/10.23967/wccm.2024.131
[34] J. Pietraszek et al., The non-parametric approach to the quantification of the uncertainty in the design of experiments modelling, UNCECOMP 2017 – Proc. 2nd International Conference on Uncertainty Quantification in Computational Sciences and Engineering (2017) 598-604. https://doi.org/10.7712/120217.5395.17225
[35] J. Pietraszek et al., Challenges for the DOE methodology related to the introduction of Industry 4.0, Production Engineering Archives 26 (2020) 190-194. https://doi.org/10.30657/pea.2020.26.33
[36] M. Scendo et al., Purine as an effective corrosion inhibitor for stainless steel in chloride acid solutions, Corrosion Reviews 30 (2012) 33-45. https://doi.org/10.1515/CORRREV-2011-0039
[37] M. Scendo et al., Influence of laser power on the corrosive resistance of WC-Cu coating, Surf. Coat. Technol. 259 (2014) 401-407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.10.062
[38] T. Lipiński, J. Pietraszek, Corrosion of the S235JR Carbon Steel after Normalizing and Overheating Annealing in 2.5% Sulphuric Acid at Room Temperature, Materials Research Proceedings 24 (2022) 102-108. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902059-16
[39] M. Radek et al., Matching Computational Tools to User Competence Levels in Education of Engineering Data Processing, Materials Research Proceedings 34 (2023) 453-459. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902691-52
[40] A. Goroshko et al., Multiphysics Modeling of Direct-Start Induction Motor Considering Rotor Unbalance, Materials Research Proceedings 45 (2024) 267-276. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903315-31
[41] V. Royzman, A. Goroshko, Multiple inverse problem, Journal of Vibroengineering 14 (2012) 1417-1424.
[42] Ł. Łacny et al., Selected overview of the impact of ground motion on the vibrations of particle accelerators, AIP Conf. Proc. 2239 (2020) art. 020025. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0008950
[43] A. Goroshko et al., Construction and practical application of hybrid statistically-determined models of multistage mechanical systems, Mechanika 20 (2014) 489-493. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.20.5.8221
[44] W. Jasiński et al., Static Mechanical Force Amplifier on the Example of a Fastener with an Electromagnetic Bolt, Materials Research Proceedings 34 (2023) 246-251. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902691-29
[45] J. Pietraszek, The modified sequential-binary approach for fuzzy operations on correlated assessments, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 7894 LNAI (2013) 353-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38658-9_32
[46] A. Pacana et al., Pro-quality method improving industrial products toward sustainable development with criteria of circular economy, METAL 2023 – Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2024) 697-702. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2023.4743
[47] A. Pacana et al., Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Truck Steel Wheels, Materials Research Proceedings 45 (2024) 213-222. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903315-25
[48] D. Siwiec et al., Analysis of aluminum can by eco-costs and life cycle assessments (LCA), METAL 2024 – Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2024) 627-632. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2024.4975
[49] A. Pacana et al., Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Truck Steel Wheels, Materials Research Proceedings 45 (2024) 213-222. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903315-25
[50] R. Dwornicka, The impact of the power plant unit start-up scheme on the pollution load, Advanced Materials Research 874 (2014) 63-69. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.874.63
[51] M. Zenkiewicz et al., Electrostatic separation of binary mixtures of some biodegradable polymers and poly(vinyl chloride) or poly(ethylene terephthalate), Polimery/Polymers 61 (2016) 835-843. https://doi.org/10.14314/polimery.2016.835
[52] A. Pietrzak et al., Application of a Mixture of Fly Ash and Solid Waste from Gas Treatment from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration in Cement Mortar, Materials 18 (2025) art. 481. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030481
[53] R. Ulewicz et al., Quality and work safety in metal foundry, METAL 2020 – 29th Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2020) 1287-1293. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2020.3649
[54] K. Czerwinska et al., Improving quality control of siluminial castings used in the automotive industry, METAL 2020 – 29th Int. Conf. Metall. Mater. (2020) 1382-1387. https://doi.org/10.37904/metal.2020.3661
[55] R. Ulewicz et al., Logistic controlling processes and quality issues in a cast iron foundry, Materials Research Proceedings 17 (2020) 65-71. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644901038-10
[56] R. Dwornicka et al., Development of a Hybrid Method for Identifying the Causes of Product Incompatibility in Metallurgical Manufacturing, Materials Research Proceedings 34 (2023) 199-206. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902691-24
[57] Ł.J. Orman et al., Comparative Analysis of Indoor Environmental Quality and Self-Reported Productivity in Intelligent and Traditional Buildings, Energies 16 (2023) art. 6663. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186663
[58] E. Skrzypczak-Pietraszek, A. Hensel, E. Skrzypczak-Pietraszek, J. Pietraszek, Chemical profile and seasonal variation of phenolic acid content in bastard balm (Melittis melissophyllum L., Lamiaceae), Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 66 (2012) 154-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2012.03.037, Pharmazie 55 (2000) 768-771.
[59] E. Skrzypczak-Pietraszek, Phytochemistry and biotechnology approaches of the genus Exacum, The Gentianaceae – Volume 2: Biotechnology and Applications (2015) 383-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54102-5_16

