Failure analysis on bogie frame with fatigue cracks caused by hunting instability

Abstract

Bogie frame is an important part of rail vehicle, and fatigue cracks impose highly adverse impacts on the running safety. Through field test, extensive investigation and simulation, the cause of early failure of bogie frame is analyzed. The research shows that the bogie hunting instability will affect the stress distribution of the bogie frame, and even lead to the cracking of bogie frame. Because the equivalent conicity of wheelset and clearance of primary suspension will affect the critical speed of the train, the bogie hunting instability occurs when the critical speed is lower than the vehicle running speed. The wheel should be reprofiled regularly and the locating rubber sleeve should be replaced to avoid the hunting instability of the train.