Local coating of curved rails by using low friction material for squeal noise reduction

Jae Chul Kim,Hee-Min Noh,Yang Soo Yun

doi:10.1177/1687814020980650

Jae Chul Kim, Hee-Min Noh + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1687814020980650

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Abstract

Curve squeal noise is one of the most prominent noises among railway noises. High levels of noise are generated when a train passes through curved sections, resulting in several complaints from the residents and vehicle passengers. To mitigate this problem, the squeal noise was attempted to be mitigated by laser cladding the composite material on the head of the rail. First, the effect of the negative gradient of the coefficient of friction on the squeal noise was theoretically examined. A simple model analysis indicated that the vibration of the wheel increased rapidly when the vibration system involved instability characteristics. In addition, the change in the friction coefficient owing to the local coating of the rail with a low friction material was investigated using a roller rig test equipment. The results demonstrated that the negative friction coefficient did not occur when the contact position between the wheel and rail was locally coated. Furthermore, the effect of the low friction local coating on the squeal noise in the curve section was examined in operational rails. The comparison of the results obtained before and after the local coating confirmed that the local coating of the rail can effectively reduce the squeal noise.

Highlights

Curve noise is one of the most prominent noises among railway noises, and high levels of noise are generated when a train passes through curved sections, resulting in several complaints from the vehicle passengers.[1]
Squeal noise is generated when a railroad vehicle passes a curved rail section; noise levels of 100 dB or more are emitted at a distance of approximately 10 m from the center of the track, and one or several pure sounds occur in the frequency range of approximately 400 Hz to 10 kHz
The reduction in the squeal noise in curved rail sections by using cladding rails was investigated First, the effective reduction measures were considered through a theoretical review of squeal noise

Summary

Introduction

Curve noise is one of the most prominent noises among railway noises, and high levels of noise are generated when a train passes through curved sections, resulting in several complaints from the vehicle passengers.[1]. Considering this background, in this study, the authors investigated an approach to reduce the squeal noise by permanently reducing the frictional force at the contact position between the wheel and the rail by using laser cladding.

Results

Conclusion