Assessment of running gear performance in relation to rolling contact fatigue of wheels and rails based on stochastic simulations

In this work, the authors present a methodology for assessing running gear with respect to rolling contact fatigue of wheels and rails. This assessment is based on the wheel/rail contact data of different wheel profile wear states obtained from a wheel profile prediction methodology. The approach allows a cumulative assessment of the rolling contact fatigue of rails in different curve radii (e.g. the sum of damage over the lifetime of wheel profiles). Furthermore, the assessment of the rolling contact fatigue can be undertaken at different wear states of the wheel profiles to provide an insight on how the rolling contact fatigue of wheels and rails varies depending on the evolution of wheel wear. The presented methodology is exemplarily applied to two bogie types, the UIC-Y25 standard bogie and the so-called FR8RAIL bogie with a mechanical wheelset steering device. The presented methodology has been shown to be a useful tool for the optimisation of vehicles already in an early stage of the vehicle development process.

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Prediction model for wheel profile wear and rolling contact fatigue

Wear ◽

10.1016/j.wear.2010.10.028 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 271 (1-2) ◽

pp. 210-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

B. Dirks ◽

R. Enblom

Keyword(s):

Prediction Model ◽

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Profile ◽

Wheel Profile Wear

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Optimizing wheel profiles and suspensions for railway vehicles operating on specific lines to reduce wheel wear: a case study

Multibody System Dynamics ◽

10.1007/s11044-020-09722-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 91-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yunguang Ye ◽

Yu Sun ◽

Shiping Dongfang ◽

Dachuan Shi ◽

Markus Hecht

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Optimal Choice ◽

Contact Forces ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Wear ◽

Material Loss ◽

Railway Vehicles ◽

Wheel Profile ◽

Designing Method

AbstractThe selection of a wheel profile is a topic of great interest as it can affect running performances and wheel wear, which needs to be determined based on the actual operational line. Most existing studies, however, aim to improve running performances or reduce contact forces/wear/rolling contact fatigue (RCF) on curves with ideal radii, with little attention to the track layout parameters, including curves, superelevation, gauge, and cant, etc. In contrast, with the expansion of urbanization, as well as some unique geographic or economic reasons, more and more railway vehicles shuttle on fixed lines. For these vehicles, the traditional wheel profile designing method may not be the optimal choice. In this sense, this paper presents a novel wheel profile designing method, which combines FaSrtip, wheel material loss function developed by University of Sheffield (USFD function), and Kriging surrogate model (KSM), to reduce wheel wear for these vehicles that primarily operate on fixed lines, for which an Sgnss wagon running on the German Blankenburg–Rübeland railway line is introduced as a case. Besides, regarding the influence of vehicle suspension characteristics on wheel wear, most of the studies have studied the lateral stiffness, longitudinal stiffness, and yaw damper characteristics of suspension systems, since these parameters have an obvious influence on wheel wear. However, there is currently little research on the relationship between the vertical suspension characteristics and wheel wear. Therefore, it is also investigated in this paper, and a suggestion for the arrangement of the vertical primary spring stiffness of the Y25 bogie is given.

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Predicted Wheel Wear and RCF Performance Using VAMPIRE Automation Routines

2009 Joint Rail Conference ◽

10.1115/jrc2009-63058 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Philip J. Rogers ◽

Matthew G. Dick

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

National Research Council ◽

Research Process ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Wear ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Rail Wear ◽

Invaluable Tool ◽

Wheel Profile

Predicted wheel performance is an invaluable tool in developing new components such as wheel profiles and truck components and also in understanding and controlling wheel and rail wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF). This paper outlines a vehicle dynamics trial using VAMPIRE Pro to compare the predicted wear and RCF performance of the WRISA2 wheel profile developed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the United Kingdom P8 wheel profile using measured wheel profiles from an in-service trial. WRISA2 and P8 profiles were fitted to two passenger trains running in normal service. Wheel profiles were measured every 10,000 miles. These measured profiles were used to predict wear and RCF damage for each wheel of the investigated rail vehicle, using a combination of VAMPIRE transient analysis and another program called the “Whole Life Rail Model” (WLRM). This process was repeated up to 190,000 miles run in service, allowing a clear comparison of the changing rail wear and RCF performance of the two profiles up to this mileage. This process was automated using new features within VAMPIRE that allow communication to 3rd party computer programs including the WLRM, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Visual Basic. This research process presents itself to be a very useful tool in predicting wheel wear performance for any number of new wheel and truck components.

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Use of railway wheel wear and damage prediction tools to improve maintenance efficiency through the use of economic tyre turning

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit ◽

10.1177/0954409718781127 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 233 (1) ◽

pp. 103-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yousif Muhamedsalih ◽

Julian Stow ◽

Adam Bevan

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Damage Model ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Wear ◽

Wear Model ◽

Dynamic Simulations ◽

Damage Prediction ◽

Wheel Profile

This paper investigates the wear rate and pattern for wheels turned with thin flanges using economic tyre turning. Economic tyre turning refers to the process of turning wheels to a profile that has the same tread shape but a thinner flange than the design case profile, allowing less material to be removed from the wheel diameter during re-profiling. Modern wheel lathes are typically capable of turning such profiles but the GB railway group standards do not currently permit their use. The paper demonstrates how the wheel profile damage model (WPDM) can be used, with a good degree of accuracy, to predict both the magnitude of wheel wear and the worn profile shape of the design and economic tyre turning re-profiled wheels for service mileages exceeding 100,000 miles. The WPDM simulations were run for two typical electric multiple units (one suburban and one intercity train fleet) and a two-axle freight wagon. Additionally, it discusses the calibration methodology used to adjust the wear coefficients contained within the Archard wear model to improve the accuracy of the WPDM simulation results for specific routes and vehicle types. Furthermore, this paper presents the findings of a trial of economic tyre turning on a fleet of intercity trains. The analysis is extended to predict the effect of using economic tyre turning on rail rolling contact fatigue for typical routes and operating conditions using a series of vehicle dynamic simulations. The analysis considers new 56E1 and 60E2 rails together with a selection of worn wheel. The research provides valuable evidence to support a future change to the standards which will allow train operators/maintainers to implement economic tyre turning policies.

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The effect of rolling contact fatigue mitigation measures on wheel wear and rail fatigue

Wear ◽

10.1016/j.wear.2017.11.012 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 398-399 ◽

pp. 56-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ulrich Spangenberg ◽

Robert Desmond Fröhling ◽

Pieter Schalk Els

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Wheel Wear ◽

Fatigue Mitigation

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Impact of wheel profile evolution on wheel-rail dynamic interaction and surface initiated rolling contact fatigue in turnouts

Wear ◽

10.1016/j.wear.2019.203109 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 438-439 ◽

pp. 203109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rong Chen ◽

Jiayin Chen ◽

Ping Wang ◽

Jiasheng Fang ◽

Jingmang Xu

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Dynamic Interaction ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Profile

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Contribution of variable gauge freight wheelsets to interoperability

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit ◽

10.1177/0954409718804960 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 233 (5) ◽

pp. 489-505 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

I Kaiser ◽

J Vinolas ◽

D Gómez del Pulgar ◽

R Galán

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Track Geometry ◽

Passenger Traffic ◽

Wheel Profile ◽

Time Required ◽

Comparison Of The Results ◽

Unsprung Mass ◽

Freight Wagons

Railway running gear with variable gauge has been successfully introduced in vehicles for passenger traffic providing a drastic reduction of the time required for the gauge change. Therefore, using wheelsets with variable gauge even for freight wagons seems to be a very promising option for accelerating freight traffic. However, there are several concerns regarding the higher mass of such wheelsets, which increase the unsprung mass of the vehicle with an effect on the dynamics. In order to assess these concerns, the running behaviour of a freight wagon on a straight track and in a curve and its risk of rolling contact fatigue are compared for different configurations of the vehicle; these configurations are determined by the inertia of the wheelsets, by the track geometry using the standard and the Iberian gauge, by the wheel profile and by the loading condition. The comparison of the results shows that the higher inertia of the variable gauge wheelset does not cause drastic changes in the running behaviour. Therefore, with regard to the dynamic behaviour, the use of variable gauge wheelsets in freight wagons is a feasible solution.

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Design of railway wheel profile taking into account rolling contact fatigue and wear

Wear ◽

10.1016/j.wear.2008.03.018 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 265 (9-10) ◽

pp. 1273-1282 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

I.Y. Shevtsov ◽

V.L. Markine ◽

C. Esveld

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Railway Wheel ◽

Wheel Profile

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Parallel co-simulation of locomotive wheel wear and rolling contact fatigue in a heavy haul train operational environment

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit ◽

10.1177/0954409720908497 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 095440972090849

Author(s):

Qing Wu ◽

Maksym Spiryagin ◽

Yan Sun ◽

Colin Cole

Keyword(s):

Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽

Contact Fatigue ◽

Simulation Method ◽

Rolling Contact ◽

Wheel Wear ◽

Wear Model ◽

Traction Control ◽

Fatigue Model ◽

Train Dynamics ◽

Calculation Models

Locomotive wheel wear and rolling contact fatigue simulations that consider both train dynamics and detailed traction control systems have not been reported. This paper developed a parallel co-simulation method to link an in-house longitudinal train dynamics simulator to a commercial software package named GENSYS. An advanced longitudinal train dynamics model, a traction control system model and a wheel–rail contact model were then incorporated into the simulation. Three wear calculation models (T-gamma model, USFD model and Archard model) and two rolling contact fatigue calculation models (T-gamma-based rolling contact fatigue model and shakedown-based rolling contact fatigue model) were implemented. A train with the configuration of 1 locomotive +54 wagons +1 locomotive +54 wagons was simulated. This paper shows that the simulation method is successful and can be used for such more detailed locomotive wheel wear and rolling contact fatigue calculations. Wear and rolling contact fatigue calculation results show that the wear numbers that were calculated using the T-gamma wear model and damage indexes that were calculated using the T-gamma-based rolling contact fatigue model were similar between the leading and remote locomotives. However, wear rates that were calculated using the USFD wear model, wear volumes that were calculated using the Archard model and fatigue indexes that were calculated using the shakedown-based rolling contact fatigue model have evident differences between the leading and remote locomotives. Maximum differences in these results were about 12, 18 and 34%, respectively.

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