Abstract
Polygonisation is a common nonuniform wear phenomenon occurring in railway vehicle wheels and has a severe impact on the vehicle–track system, ride comfort, and lineside residents. This paper first summarizes periodic defects of the wheels, including wheel polygonisation and wheel corrugation, occurring in railways worldwide. Thereafter, the effects of wheel polygonisation on the wheel–rail interaction, noise and vibration, and fatigue failure of the vehicle and track components are reviewed. Based on the different causes, the formation mechanisms of periodic wheel defects are classified into three categories: (1) initial defects of wheels, (2) natural vibration of the vehicle–track system, and (3) thermoelastic instability. In addition, the simulation methods of wheel polygonisation evolution and countermeasures to mitigate wheel polygonisation are presented. Emphasis is given to the characteristics, effects, causes, and solutions of wheel polygonisation in metro vehicles, locomotives, and high-speed trains in China. Finally, the guidance is provided on further understanding the formation mechanisms, monitoring technology, and maintenance criterion of wheel polygonisation.
Highlights
Railway vehicles rely on wheel–rail rolling contact for operation
Most of the simulations of wheel–rail interaction under excitation of wheel polygonisation were performed with a vehicle–track dynamics model, where Hertzian springs were employed to represent the normal contact between the wheel and rail
It is necessary to design an indirect measurement system installed on the vehicle to detect the wheel–rail contact forces induced by wheel polygonisation, which is very helpful for understanding the formation mechanism and the effects of wheel polygonisation
Summary
Railway vehicles rely on wheel–rail rolling contact for operation. Wheel out-of-roundness (OOR), especially wheel polygonisation, strongly influences the operational safety and quality of railway vehicles. The effect of wheel polygonisation on the wheel–rail interaction, noise and vibration, and fatigue reliability of the vehicle and track components is presented in Sect. Wheel corrugation mainly appears on block-braked wheelsets The wavelength of this defect is 30–60 mm, and the amplitude is less than 10 lm [4]. The present authors’ research team has been investigating more than 30 metro lines in China and has measured both wheel OOR and rail corrugation. According to our field investigations, the linear-induction-motor (LIM) metro trains in two lines exhibited wheel polygonal wear with nine harmonics [13], which is the first reported case of wheel polygonal wear in China.
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