Effect of wheel diameter difference on tread wear of freight wagons

Abstract

Wheel wear is a fundamental problem for railway vehicles. The unequal wear rate of the two wheels of a wheelset results in the wheel diameter difference (WDD). The WDD and wheel wear not only affect the dynamic performances of rail vehicles, but also increase the maintenance cost. This paper presents an investigation of the effect of the WDD on tread wear for freight wagons based on extensive field measurements and numerical simulations. The evolution laws of the WDD and tread wear of 4 freight wagons are first analyzed based on the monitoring data in an operation period of 200,000 km. A freight wagon dynamics model considering wheel-rail non-Hertzian contact is then established to study the influence of the WDD on the wheel tread wear of a freight wagon. The correlation analysis of wheel tread wear and the WDD is conducted based on the field test data. The results show that the initial WDD significantly affects the shapes and stress distributions of wheel-rail contact patches. The WDD can lead to the asymmetric wear of the two wheels of a wheelset, which conversely aggravates the WDD in return.