Determining the energy of impact of a railroad rolling stock wheelset when derailing over reinforced concrete sleepers using impact trace parameters

Abstract

The object of research is reinforced concrete sleepers that are subjected to the impact of a wheel in a railroad rolling stock. A procedure is given to theoretically estimate the energy at the impact of a wheel into a reinforced concrete sleeper when a rolling stock wheelset derails. Experimental studies of the geometric parameters of impact traces that occur on reinforced concrete sleepers, depending on the height of the center of mass of the striker above the impact site, were conducted. Based on the results of the experiments, the average geometric parameters of the impact traces were obtained. It was established that the dependence of impact traces on the height of the center of mass of the striker above the place of impact into the reinforced concrete sleeper has a non-linear distribution. Experimental studies of the effect of the location of the reinforced concrete sleeper base on the geometric parameters of impact traces were conducted. It was established that the location of the reinforced concrete sleeper on a solid base and on crushed stone ballast does not exert a significant effect on change in the geometric parameters of impact traces. The obtained experimental values are within the limits of 3σ determined for the rigid abutment of the sleeper. It was established that when testing a reinforced concrete sleeper in a crushed stone box, the amount of energy depends on the height of the striker. At a height of 0.95 m, the amount of energy absorbed by the sleeper together with the ballast was 475 J, and at a height of 1.42 m – 710 J. Analytical dependences were obtained between the length of the face of the impact trace and the amount of absorbed energy, as well as the depth along the direction of the force and the amount of absorbed energy. It was established that the length of the impact trace has an extremum, which does not allow recommending this parameter for estimating the amount of absorbed energy for energy values E<200 J. To determine the amount of energy absorbed by the sleeper, it is recommended to use the parameter of the depth of the impact trace