Abstract
Wheel-rail adhesion is a fundamental aspect in rail transport, with high impact on traction and braking of trains. In the case of high speeds trains, wheel-rail adhesion is particularly important, as the maximum usable traction force is limited by the adhesion force. The present paper analyses the influence of wheel-rail adhesion on the maximum speed of trains, considering ranges of usual values for the track gradient and the adhesion coefficient and the real data of two Japanese high-speed trains. Analysis shows that low adhesion and high track gradient result in significant reduction of train speed.
Highlights
The constraints affecting high-speed rail transport are generally related to phenomena of low impact at conventional speeds but which have a high intensity at high speeds
A numerical application is carried out, based on the empirical formulas of wheel-rail adhesion coefficient and of train resistance presented in the previous sections
The results show that for reasonably high values of the adhesion coefficient μ0 or for low gradients both trains can reach the maximum operation speed
Summary
The constraints affecting high-speed rail transport are generally related to phenomena of low impact at conventional speeds but which have a high intensity at high speeds. Among these limitations of the vehicles speed can be mentioned: the wheel-rail dynamic forces, the hunting motion, the issues related to current collection, the wheel-rail adhesion, etc [1,2,3]. Low adhesion is caused by the existence of a layer between wheel and rail, for example in cases of water, ice, dead leaves, oil, sand, etc.
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