AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices Wheels and Axles s.649 INSPECTION OF FORGED STEEL CAR AND LOCOMOTIVE AXLES BY AAR TECHNICAL SERVICES DIVISION Standard S-649 Adopted: 1966; Revised: 1983, 2004 1.0 OBJECTIVE An AAR Technical Services Division inspector will periodically inspect manufacturing facilities and processes pertaining to production of steel car and locomotive axles. This will include such necessary inspection of the product to ensure that controls practiced by the manufacturers are adequate to minimize defects that might result in service failures. 2.0 GENERAL ‘The procedures followed by the inspector will include a review and written record of practices and facilities starting with the axle bloom immediately after rolling or forging and continuing through the cooling practice of the axles. Heat-treating practices also will be reviewed. Extensive inspec- tion of finished axles will not ordinarily be required. This should not imply that the inspector will require detailed information of processes adopted by a manufacturer. 3.0 DUTIES 3.1 The following are some details of the practices that will be reviewed by the inspector: ‘* Axle bloom handling, including cooling practice immediately after rolling or forging ‘* Axle bloom heating practice, including furnace controls and type of furnace ‘+ Reduction practice, including facilities * Straightening practice * Axle cooling practice + Heat-treatment facilities and controls * Quality controls, tensile testing, and records * Ultrasonic testing * Determining if equipment and procedures for machining axles are adequate to meet AAR, specifications for the finished product 3.2 The inspections shall be in accordance with the requirements outlined in Specification M-101. 3.3. A report will be made to the AAR Technical Services Division and the manufacturer on the results of the inspection. G78 rvwe