Mechanisms Underlying Rail Corrugation on Tracks Equipped with Cologne-Egg Fasteners

Abstract

Rail corrugation is the most common type of abnormal damage in subway track systems, and there is currently no unified theory that fully explains this specific wear phenomenon. In this research, a coupled rigid–flexible dynamics model and a multi-rigid body dynamics model was established, accounting for the effects of fastener systems, to study severe rail corrugation on tracks equipped with Cologne-egg fastener (CE fastener). The low vertical support stiffness of CE fasteners, combined with heavy train loads, leads to the “soft mud effect.” This effect causes the creep force between the wheel and rail to become saturated more easily, which is the root cause of frequent rail corrugation on both tangent tracks and curved tracks with large radii. Additionally, drawing on the theory of friction-driven self-excitation vibration, a finite element model of a wheelset–rails system with CE fasteners was established to study the unstable vibration caused by wheel–rail sliding. An increased friction coefficient increases the tendency toward unstable vibration in a wheelset–CE fastener–rail system. Three types of composite under-rail vibration absorbers were designed to suppress rail corrugation, with the continuous-type absorber demonstrating the best suppressive effect.