The effect of water lubricant on reducing the generation of airborne wear particles from wheel–rail contacts under various train velocities

Abstract

The effects of water lubricant to reduce airborne wear particles (AWPs) generation from wheel–rail contacts were investigated under three different train velocities using a twin-disk rig. Results indicated that the train velocity influenced generation trend, amount, and size distributions of nano- and micro-particles under dry and wet conditions. Water lubricant effectively reduced the number concentration (NC) of nano-particles, and the reduction increased with velocities. The NC of micro-particles generated under wet conditions was almost negligible for all tested velocities. Water vapors generated because of frictional heating significantly influenced the nano-particles NCs. Thus, water lubricants can effectively reduce the NCs of AWPs.