Wheel-rail Dynamic Interaction Research Articles

Research on the influence of random stiffness of the rubber tie plate on the coupled vehicle-turnout system based on the probability density evolution method

Track supporting stiffness plays a crucial role in the running quality of a vehicle crossing through a turnout. This paper mainly focuses on the influence of random stiffness of the rubber tie plate on the vehicle-turnout coupling system. The relevant random field is constructed via the number theoretical method (NTM). The coupled vehicle-turnout model with flexible rails is built via the modal superposition method. The probability density function (PDF) is obtained via the probability density evolution method (PDEM). Cases of normal distributions with various mean values of stiffness are compared to contrast the relevant impact on the dynamic wheel–rail interaction. Research results indicate that an increase of the stiffness of the rubber tie plate can abate the transverse sway of the vehicle and low down the wheel number. The target stiffness should be taken as 35 kN/mm and corresponding normal distribution with a confidence interval of plus and minus 5 kN/mm can be accepted. The discrepancy between the mean value and the relevant PDF contour clarify the importance and necessity for analysis of randomness. Research results of this paper can serve as the theoretical fundament of the track stiffness homogenisation of a turnout in the future.

A heavy-haul train longitudinal-vertical coupled dynamics model and its dynamic behaviour under emergency braking

The heavy-haul train dynamic performance under emergency braking is complex and directly affects the reliability and running safety. To reveal the heavy-haul train dynamic behaviour in emergency braking process on the long downhill segments, a comprehensive heavy-haul train longitudinal-vertical coupled dynamics model (HTLVDM) that considers the air braking system and coupler draft gear system is established in this paper. HTLVDM considers the components of the locomotive and wagon, such as the wheelset, bogie frame, and car body. The coupler force model considers the nonlinear hysteresis characteristic of the coupler draft gear system. The braking delay time and pressure variation of the brake cylinders are taken into the air braking model. In addition, the validity of HTLVDM is verified by published data. Based on the real-world data of the Shuozhou-Huanghua Line and the established model, the HTLVDM's dynamic responses are analysed through numerical simulations. The results indicate that both the brake forces and coupler forces have a significant effect on the wheel-rail dynamic interactions and the dynamic response of the car body in the heavy-haul train.

The stochastic characteristics of wideband-wavelength track irregularity on Chinese HSRs and its application to dynamic wheel–rail interaction

Track irregularities are the major excitations which lead to unfavourable wheel–rail dynamic interaction. In this work, the stochastic characteristics of longitudinal level irregularity on Chinese ballastless high-speed railway (HSR) are analysed based on a series of large-scale measurement campaigns on various arterial lines in Chinese HSR network. The power spectrum density (PSD) of longitudinal level irregularities of various track types is obtained, covering short and middle-to-long wavelength range, as well as the periodical irregularities caused by characteristic lengths of track components. An irregularity spectrum is proposed to represent the stochastic characteristics of the longitudinal level irregularities. Unlike existing irregularity spectra which represent the short and middle-to-long wavelength irregularities separately, the proposed spectrum covers a wide range of wavelength from 0.002 m to 100 m. A vehicle–track model which couples flexible wheelsets and the ballastless track is employed to demonstrate the suitability of the spectrum. It is shown that the proposed spectrum is more suitable than the latter to represent Vehicle–Track Interaction (VTI) on Chinese HSRs. The fitted short-wave spectrum and the proposed wideband wavelength spectrum therefore provide more appropriate representatives of track irregularities for accurate modelling of VTI on Chinese HSRs and railway lines which adopt similar technologies.

New experimental evidences of corrugation formation due to rail longitudinal vibration mode

ABSTRACT This paper aims at identifying the formation mechanism of short pitch rail corrugation using an improved configuration of a 1/5 scaled V-Track test rig. The loading conditions of the V-Track are designed to simulate the wheel-rail dynamic interactions on the tangent track. Corrugation initiation and consistent growth are successfully produced on the rail surface with a characteristic wavelength of about 6.0 mm, equivalent to the field one of 30 mm. By analysing the wheel-rail dynamic forces, the wheel and track dynamic behaviours across different rotations, it is found that the rail longitudinal vibration mode and its induced longitudinal dynamic force determine the corrugation formation with the necessary initial excitation.

A frequency-domain simulation method for the evolution of rail corrugation in curves

Rail corrugation remains a major problem in many railways and metros, leading to high noise and vibration levels as well as potential damage to the track and vehicle. A frequency domain simulation method is proposed for the evolution of the rail surface roughness, which can simulate the formation and development of rail corrugation in curves. A coupled vehicle-track dynamic model is established in the frequency domain to calculate the dynamic vertical and lateral wheel-rail contact forces and the associated vibration. The wheel-rail contact state is determined by using a multi-body dynamics model. The frictional-work wear model is used to calculate the roughness change caused by wheel-rail dynamic interaction. The method is verified by comparing the results with those of on-site testing on a 300 m radius curve of a metro line. It is shown that the main causes of rail corrugation are associated with the peaks in the vertical wheel-rail forces in the frequency domain, generated by the interaction between the wheel and rail. At short wavelengths the corrugation is associated with the wave reflections in the rail between adjacent axles. The phase relationship between the vertical wheel-rail force and the initial roughness has a strong influence on the roughness growth trend, leading to preferential growth in certain wavelength bands. The wheel-rail contact state and friction parameters affect the rate of development of the corrugation. Finally, a corrugation index is proposed to allow quick evaluation of the wavelength and growth rate of corrugation.

Reliability assessment of freight wagon passing through railway turnouts using adaptive Kriging surrogate model

ABSTRACT Railway turnout (RT) is a crucial component of railway infrastructure that consists of several components. Assessing the derailment probability of freight wagons passing through the turnout is crucial for quantifying failure risks and optimizing the performance of the freight wagon-turnout system (FWTS). However, existing assessment methods often require extensive model evaluations and impose substantial computational costs. To address this issue, an efficient reliability analysis method is established for assessing the derailment risk at RTs. Firstly, a dynamic model is developed to capture the wheel-rail dynamic interaction and the numerical model is validated by field tests. Secondly, to reduce the computational cost in the reliability analysis, an efficient adaptive Kriging method based on an error stopping criteria and a learning function is adopted to estimate the failure probabilities under multiple failure modes of wheel derailments. Based on the efficient learning function and convergence criterion, accurate failure probability results can be obtained with a small number of multibody and finite element coupled dynamic simulations. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy of the proposed method in capturing random characteristics for FWTS is evaluated. Finally, the influence of the evolution of rail wear on the failure probability is further discussed.

Comprehensive validation of three-dimensional finite element modelling of wheel-rail high-frequency interaction via the V-Track test rig

Wheel-rail high-frequency interaction is closely related to the formation of railway short-wave defects. Finite element (FE) method has been widely used to simulate wheel-rail dynamic systems, but its validity in modelling high-frequency interaction has not been fully demonstrated in three dimensions (3D). This work aims at comprehensively validating the 3D FE modelling of wheel-rail high-frequency interaction using a downscale V-Track test rig. First, the FE model of the V-Track is developed that comprehensively includes the 3D track elasticity. The simulated track dynamic behaviours are validated against hammer tests, and the major vibration modes are analyzed employing modal analysis. Afterwards, the simulate wheel-rail dynamic responses are comprehensively compared with measurement results up to 10 kHz. Their characteristic frequencies are identified and correlated to the eigenmodes of the vehicle-track system. The results indicate that the proposed 3D FE model is capable of comprehensively and accurately simulating the 3D track dynamics and wheel-rail dynamic interaction of the V-Track up to 10 kHz. Rail vibrations dominate the wheel-rail dynamic contact within 10 kHz, while the wheel vibrations play an increasingly important role at higher frequencies and become decisive near the wheel eigenmode frequencies. The V-Track overall achieves dynamic similarity to the real vehicle-track system.

Research on wheel-rail dynamic interaction of high-speed railway under low adhesion condition

Due to the inherent openness of the wheel-rail system, the wheel-rail interface is subject to the influence of a third medium, resulting in a low adhesion state. This study investigates the dynamic interaction between the wheel and rail under low adhesion conditions through the development of a numerical model employing anti-skid control strategies and infinite long track simulation technology. The model's validity is established by comparing its calculations with data from both the multi-body dynamics software UM and field tests. The numerical simulations uncover that the implementation of rail side lubrication significantly reduces longitudinal creep forces, thereby diminishing the wheelset's steering capabilities. Furthermore, it induces a notable increase in lateral wheel-rail interaction, consequently lowering safety indicators in vehicle operations. Rail side lubrication is found to substantially reduce rail side wear, resulting in an approximate 60% decrease in the maximum wear depth. Comprehensive friction control on the rail surface concurrently mitigates rail side and top surface wear. In instances of local low adhesion on both sides, the wheelset experiences pronounced stick-slip vibrations, leading to a deterioration in the longitudinal dynamic performance between the wheel and rail. Unilateral low adhesion situations prompt noticeable yawing and shaking motions within the low adhesion zone, resulting in evident lateral impact phenomena. Upon re-entering the normal adhesion zone from the low adhesion zone, the rail wear index experiences a significant peak, which means that the rails in this area are prone to severe local wear or fatigue.

Impacts of vehicle light-weighting on wheel wear and RCF and a novel ultralight vehicle design

Vehicle light-weighting is a critical design target for rail vehicles, as it reduces energy consumption and enhances the vehicle capacity and dynamic performance, making the railway system more attractive in addressing the rising environmental challenges and increasing demand in transportation. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the impact of vehicle light-weighting on wheel wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF), using the USFD wear law, the shakedown map and the Tγ approach. A conventional metro vehicle is utilized as a baseline model, and the mass reductions from different vehicle components (i.e., car-body, bogie frame and wheelset) are implemented for the simulation considering various running scenarios. The effect of mass reduction on wheel wear can be divided into two aspects: quasi-static wheel load and wheel-rail dynamic interaction. In short-radius curves, the change in static axle-load predominantly determines wheel wear, whereas in large-radius curves and tangent track, the wheel-rail dynamic interaction plays an important role, thus showing different rates of wear reduction when mass reduction is achieved respectively from car-body, bogie frames and wheelsets. Reducing vehicle mass can significantly reduce wheel damage of RCF on short-radius curves with curve radii above 400 m, while there is a risk of increasing RCF on tight curve R250, due to the impaired function of wear to counteract the crack propagation. This work also exhibits a specific innovative ultralight vehicle design, where the linear synchronous motor technology is applied to reduce substantially the mass of the vehicle without impairing the capability to provide the required amount of tractive effort. The proposed ultralight vehicle can reduce the wheel wear by approximately 40% and shows substantial benefit for preventing RCF damage, compared to a conventional vehicle.

Influence of material properties on the high-speed wheel-rail rolling contact behaviour

Here a comprehensive 3-D wheel-rail rolling contact finite element model was developed to investigate the influence of wheel-rail material properties on the dynamic wheel-rail interaction. The wheel-rail contact responses induced by two typical wheel tread defects (i.e. wheel flat and tread spalling) were discussed and compared to the responses of perfect wheel in this work. The dynamic wheel-rail responses of three typical material models involved (i.e. rigid, elastic, and elastic-plastic models) were investigated in terms of contact force, contact pressure/stress, and wheel/rail degradation. Furthermore, the strain rate levels during wheel-rail rolling contact at various train speeds were estimated with emphasis on the elastic-plastic model, which was helpful for determining strain rate range of wheel/rail material property tests. Finally, the influences of strain rate effect and initial fatigue damage of wheel/rail materials on dynamic wheel-rail responses were discussed. These results illustrated that the rigid model grossly overestimated wheel-rail impact force caused by wheel tread defects, while the elastic model overestimated wheel-rail contact pressure/stress, damage index, and frictional work. The strain rate effect could significantly increase Mises stress and inhibit plastic deformation of wheel-rail system, while the initial fatigue damage would reduce Mises stress and aggravate plastic deformation.

The role of 3D contact geometry in modeling dynamic wheel-rail interaction at short-wave irregularities on rail surface

Modelling wheel-rail interaction at short-wave irregularities is an important issue under the context of vehicle-track system dynamics for analyzing and preventing severe impact. The present paper broadens the applicability of vehicle-track dynamics model to account for 3D short-wave irregularities on rail surface. The key is developing a meshing grid approach combined with the accurate conjugate gradient (CG) method for contact mechanics under arbitrary 3D contact geometry. Therefore, both the global dynamics and local contact solutions can be provided. In this study, short-pitch rail corrugation is employed for investigating the role of 3D contact geometry in modelling dynamic wheel-rail interaction. The traditional vehicle-track coupled dynamics model using Hertzian spring is used for comparison. The results show short-pitch rail corrugation contributes two different aspects, i.e., wheel center trajectory and time-varying contact stiffness. These two aspects are found to be the root causes for explaining the influence of the varying 3D geometry irregularity size on dynamic wheel-rail contact force.

Structural condition assessment based strain-stress behaviour for railway welded rail joint using rosette fibre Bragg grating optical sensor

The rail provides a medium for trains to operate along and a support system for the cargo trains to carry. Proper caution should be exercised when handling the thermite welded rail, as it can be vulnerable to damage and failure if not properly maintained. The thermite welded rail joint experiences the greatest amount of train impact and has the least material rigidity. However, measuring the deformation or strain that occurs on a rail is difficult as limitation of the strain gauge itself and challenges to perform the measurement on site due to surroundings. A rectangular rosette Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor setup was mounted on the web surface of the rail to obtain three distinct strain directions, in order to measure and monitor the direct strain on the thermite welded rail joint. The location for the FBG sensor setup is determined by the presence of visible defects and the production of load sounds when the railway passes through specific locations on the rail track. The FBG sensor's wavelength signal displays three distinct patterns for each strain direction and is used to compare the results between the thermite welded joint and the smooth base rail structure. The wavelength signal exhibits tensional strain, compressional strain and tensional and compressional strain in combination. The principal strain and principal stress are examined between four different locations. The strain value obtained from FBG sensors show instability and variations, which can be attributed to factors such as the dynamic wheel-rail interaction and the condition of the rail structure. Therefore, the FBG sensors are proven to be acceptable in rail track condition assessment based on direct strain measurement for running rail track applications.

Running performance analysis of a passenger coach with small-radius wheels in the diverging route of a turnout

Small-radius wheels are gradually introduced on special rail vehicles, such as double-decker coaches and piggyback wagons. It allows for a low-floor design and further increases the loading capacity of vehicles. From the perspective of vehicle dynamics, small-radius wheels have lower unsprung mass than the nominal wheels with a radius of 460 mm, and it could mitigate the wheel-rail dynamic interaction. Also, the contact patch size is reduced due to the increased curvature of the rolling contact circle, and they are more sensitive to changes in the track geometry than nominal wheels, especially in turnouts with discontinuous rail profiles. To investigate the dynamic response of small-radius wheels in a turnout, the Manchester Benchmark passenger coach with variable radius wheels and a left-hand turnout with a radius of 245 m are introduced in this work. The influence of wheel radii on the running performance, including the wheel-rail interaction and wheel damage behaviour, is investigated by numerical simulations. In addition, a sensitivity study is executed to evaluate the influence of unsprung mass and wheel flange friction on the performance of a vehicle whose wheel radius is 275 mm, and the potential remedy to mitigate high wheel wear is proposed.

NONLINEAR DYNAMIC RESPONSES OF LOCOMOTIVE EXCITED BY RAIL CORRUGATION AND GEAR TIME-VARYING MESH STIFFNESS

Rail corrugation is usually generated in modern railway transportations, such as high-speed railway, urban railway, and heavy-haul railway. It is one of the major excitations to the wheel–rail dynamic interaction, which will cause extra vibration and noise, failures, or even risk of derailment to the vehicle and its components. A dynamics model of a heavy-haul locomotive considering the traction power from the electric motor to the wheelset through gear transmission is employed to investigate the nonlinear dynamic responses of the locomotive. This dynamics model couples the motions of the vehicle, the track, and the gear transmission together. In this dynamics model, excitations from the rail corrugation, the nonlinear wheel–rail contact, the time-varying mesh stiffness, and the nonlinear gear backlash are considered. Then, numerical simulations are performed to reveal the dynamic responses of the locomotive. The calculated results indicate that different nonlinear phenomenon can be observed under the excitation of the rail corrugation with different amplitude and wavelength. The high frequency vibrations excited by the time-varying mesh stiffness are usually modulated by the low frequency vibrations caused by the rail corrugation. However, this is likely to vanish under the chaotic conditions with some corrugation wavelength. The vibration level of the vehicle and the gear transmission increases generally with the corrugation amplitude. However, some corrugation lengths have been found to be more responsible for the vibration of the dynamics system, which should be concerned greatly during the locomotive operation. Meanwhile, involvement of gear transmission systems will cause different dynamic responses between the wheelsets under rail corrugation and gear mesh excitations.

Профіль ободу коліс пасажирського вагонa для умов спільної експлуатації на українських і європейських залізницях

The relevance of this work stems from the urgent need for the modern development of the Ukrainian railway transport and the acceleration of Ukraine's integration into the European railway transportation. Currently, the most effective way to travel across borders between countries with different track gauges is the use of gauge-changeable wheelsets, a system that can change from one gauge to another when moving through special gauge changing facilities. The use of cars with gauge-changeable wheelsets on the Ukrainian and European railways calls for assuring a good compatibility of the wheel-rail pair on tracks of both gauges. The goal of this work was to develop a unified wheel profile for the operation on the domestic and European railways and predict the safety of cars with that wheel profile, the ride quality, and processes of wheel-rail dynamic interaction for tracks with different parameters. Use was made of methods of deformable solid mechanics, statistical dynamics, and numerical integration. A family of wheel profiles was constructed, and the effectiveness of their use in passenger car wheelsets on the Ukrainian (1520 mm gauge) and European (1435 mm gauge) railways was evaluated. For each profile, the spatial problem of wheel?rail contact was solved, and the interaction parameters were analyzed, including the dimensions and location of the contact patches. Calculations were also made for a car negotiating a circular curve of a small radius (R = 300 m) and moving at different speeds on tangent track sections. The choice among the constructed profiles was made according to two criteria: wheel flange wear and car dynamic stability. Based on the studies conducted, a new wear-resistant wheel profile, ITM-73EP, was proposed. Its use in gauge-changeable wheelsets of passenger cars will provide reasonable indices of wheel–rail interaction both on the Ukrainian and on the European railways without sacrificing car dynamic performance.

Suspension Parameters Optimization of Fast Freight Wagon Based on Low Wheel-Rail Dynamic Interactions

The dynamic model of fast freight wagon is established to study the effect of key parameters of the freight wagon on dynamic performance. In order to reduce the wheel-rail dynamic interactions, the parameters such as primary suspension stiffness, arm joint stiffness, and joint stiffness of the anti-yaw damper are optimized. The results indicate that the above suspension parameters have an influence on the fast freight wagon’s dynamic performance. Compared with the simulation results of the original parameters, the wheel-rail vertical force is reduced by 10%, and the wheel-rail lateral force is reduced by 42% and 38% respectively under the straight and curve conditions of the empty vehicle. The wheel-rail vertical force is reduced by 10% and 6%, and the wheel-rail lateral force is reduced by 10% and 16% respectively under the straight and curve conditions of the loaded fast freight wagon. The running stability and safety of the fast freight wagon have been improved.

Comprehensive efficient vertical and lateral track dynamic model to study the evolution of rail corrugation in sharp curves

• A highly accurate and fast model is developed for the study of rail corrugation. • Experimental receptances are precisely fitted using RFP and genetic algorithms. • Lateral system dynamics is added to the model preserving short computational times. • The model has been validated with experimental measurements. This paper addresses a time/space domain model, extremely efficient in terms of computation, which combines the vertical and lateral dynamics of the track to predict undulatory wear depending on track and vehicle parameters. As it is known, this is a source of noise and vibration that can provoke very high levels. The model is obtained from the transformation of a model in the frequency domain to the time/space domain by means of the rational fraction polynomials method. Multiobjective genetic algorithms are used to minimize the error in fitting receptances and to ensure the stability of the system. This model includes the vertical wheel-rail dynamic interaction with a Hertzian spring, and the FASTSIM algorithm is used to study tangential contact. The model is validated with the experimental corrugation measurements taken on a metro line.

Dynamics analysis of train-track-bridge coupled system considering spatial flexibility of high piers and system longitudinal vibrations

High-pier railway bridges are mostly applied in mountainous areas. Due to the large spatial flexibility of the high piers under train dynamic loads, especially under braking conditions, the wheel-rail (WR) dynamic interaction may become more intense in the longitudinal direction, which could induce larger deformation and impact on the train-track-bridge (TTB) coupled system. To investigate the dynamic characteristics of such complex and large system during train braking condition, a 3D train-slab track-high pier bridge (TTHPB) coupled dynamics model is established and verified by considering the system longitudinal vibrations and the spatial flexibility of high piers. In this work, the influence of concerned bridge height from 60 to 160 m on the dynamic performances of the TTHPB system under train braking condition is studied. Results indicate that the operation speed has a significant effect on carbody acceleration and WR force. The longitudinal carbody acceleration due to its high-frequency vibration, as well as its noticeable amplitude induced by the long-time frequent braking, should be carefully considered in the evaluation of riding comfort index. The longitudinal dynamic behaviour of the high pier bridge is considerable and should be paid full attention to in bridge design compared with the other two directions.

Effects of flange wear on dynamic vehicle-turnout interaction

Long-term investigations have revealed incidences of severe flange wheel wear in the field. Slight changes in the profile shape will lead to changes in the geometric relationship between wheel and rail, hence affecting the dynamic wheel-rail interaction. The turnout is an essential piece of track equipment for carrying out train transfer or cross line operation. In turnouts, the rail profile changes throughout the structure, and the wheel load transfers from one rail component to the next, resulting in a complex wheel/rail relationship. This paper investigates the effect of flange wear on the wheel-rail interaction as the vehicle switches into the turnout track in a diverging movement. A coupling model for a high-speed flexible turnout and a multi-rigid vehicle is established, and the dynamic contact trajectories between wheel and rail, the vibration energy of the rail, the lateral wheel-rail force, rail wear, and car body driving stability are analyzed. The results show that the wheel transition position is shifted backward due to the flange wear, and a less sharp impact occurs with a worn flange profile during wheel load transition in the switch panel, which improves lateral wheel-turnout interaction and the rail wear. Worn flange profiles give a large flangeway clearance, which is not conducive to the smooth operation of vehicles in the diverging route of turnouts.

An experimental study on the effects of friction modifiers on wheel–rail dynamic interactions with various angles of attack

By modifying friction to the desired level, the application of friction modifiers (FMs) has been considered as a promising emerging tool in the railway engineering for increasing braking/traction force in poor adhesion conditions and mitigating wheel/rail interface deterioration, energy consumption, vibration and noise. Understanding the effectiveness of FMs in wheel–rail dynamic interactions is crucial to their proper applications in practice, which has, however, not been well explained. This study experimentally investigates the effects of two types of top-of-rail FM, i.e. FM-A and FM-B, and their application dosages on wheel–rail dynamic interactions with a range of angles of attack (AoAs) using an innovative well-controlled V-track test rig. The tested FMs have been used to provide intermediate friction for wear and noise reduction. The effectiveness of the FMs is assessed in terms of the wheel–rail adhesion characteristics and friction rolling induced axle box acceleration (ABA). This study provides the following new insights into the study of FM: the applications of the tested FMs can both reduce the wheel–rail adhesion level and change the negative friction characteristic to positive; stick–slip can be generated in the V-Track and eliminated by FM-A but intensified by FM-B, depending on the dosage of the FMs applied; the negative friction characteristic is not a must for stick–slip; the increase in ABA with AoA is insignificant until stick–slip occurs and the ABA can thus be influenced by the applications of FM.