Parameter study of friction damping ring for railway wheels based on modal analysis

Abstract

A straight web wheel with friction damping rings in different configurations was tested in a laboratory. A total sound pressure level (SPL) test of the wheel under different preload conditions and damping ring installation positions was conducted, and the existence of an “optimum preload” was indicated. Modal tests and analyses of the wheel under different configurations of the damping rings were conducted and verified using a vibration transfer function measurement. The results indicate that a greater number of damping rings clearly improves their vibration mitigation effects. Furthermore, the installation of the damping ring on the inside groove of the wheel has a superior effect on the first four modes, whereas an outside installation has a better effect on the last two modes. Using a two-degree-of-freedom system, the “optimum contact stiffness” existing between the damping ring and the wheel at each mode is confirmed, where the variation tendency of the contact stiffness is to reach and exceed the optimum value from low frequency to high frequency as the preload value increases.