Key Factors of the Initiation and Development of Polygonal Wear in the Wheels of a High-Speed Train

Yue Wu,Wubin Cai,Jian Han,Xinbiao Xiao,Xuesong Jin

doi:10.3390/app10175880

Abstract

The polygonal wear of train wheels occurs commonly in rail transport and increases the wheel–rail interaction force dramatically and has a bad effect on the safety and comfort of the train. The mechanism of polygonal wear needs to be studied. The characteristics of test data measured from 47,000 sets of polygonal wheels of high-speed trains were analysed statistically. The analysis shows that, in the entire use life cycle of the wheels, the order (wavelength) and development speed of polygonal wear are different; they correspond to different wheel diameters because of wear and re-profiling. A prediction model, which considered the flexibility of the wheelset for the polygonal wear of the wheels of high-speed trains, was developed to explain this phenomenon. This theoretical model analyses the initiation, development, and characteristics of polygonal wear. The analysis includes the effect of the high-frequency flexible deformation of the wheelset, train operation speed, and wheel diameter variation. This study suggests that, if the wheel perimeter is nearly an integral multiple of the wavelength of severe periodic wear along the wheel circumference, the polygonal wear on the wheel can develop quickly. Furthermore, the wavelength of the periodic wear of the wheel relies on the operation speed of the train and wheelset resonant frequency. Therefore, the initiation and development of polygonal wear on wheels depends on the operation speed, wheel diameter, and the resonant frequencies of the wheelset. This conclusion can be applied to research concerning measures associated with the suppression of polygonal wear development.

Highlights

Polygonal wear is uneven wear along the circumference of train wheels and its wavelength varies from a dozen centimetres to the entire circumference of the wheel [1,2]
Polygonal wear beyond the eighth order—defined as a high-order polygonal wear in the present research have often been detected on the wheels of high-speed trains, metro trains, and electric locomotives in China [2]
The results showed that the bending resonant modes of the wheelset were excited by the fluctuating vertical force of the wheel–rail, and this led to a scenario where the lateral creep force of the wheel–rail varied periodically and the polygonal wear occurred on the rolling circle of the wheel

Summary

Introduction

Polygonal wear is uneven wear along the circumference of train wheels and its wavelength varies from a dozen centimetres to the entire circumference of the wheel [1,2]. Polygonal wear with only one wavelength around the wheel circumference is called first-order polygonal wear (i.e., eccentric wear); that with two equal wavelengths is called second-order polygonal wear (i.e., elliptical wear); that with three equal wavelengths is called third-order polygonal wear, and so on. First-, second-, and third-order polygonal wear are considered low-order polygonal wear. Polygonal wear beyond the eighth order—defined as a high-order polygonal wear in the present research have often been detected on the wheels of high-speed trains, metro trains, and electric locomotives in China [2]. Polygonal wear increases wheel–rail interaction and has a considerable effect on the use life of the components of railway vehicles and tracks. It threatens operation safety [3]. This problem has gradually become a matter of urgent public concern in the railway transportation industry in

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion