Wheel and Rail Tribology

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6691

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: design and management of railway track; railway turnout; dynamics of vehicle–track/turnout interaction

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: railway turnout; dynamic intertacion of wheel–rail system; wheel–rail contact damage; damage monitoring
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: contact mechanics; relation between wheel and rail; train-track–subgrade interaction; wheel-rail tribology; wear; rolling contact fatigue

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wheel–rail tribology is one of the key technical problems of railway transportation. The operation, traction and braking of the train are realized through the interaction of the wheel and rail. However, the problems generated in this process, such as the rolling contact fatigue, wear, rail corrugation, derailment, noise, etc., have not been well solved, thus bringing great economic losses to railway transportation. This phenomenon has come into focus as speeds have increased and as trains have become heavier.

Wheel–rail tribology research involves rolling contact mechanics, material science, dynamics, kinematics and general friction research theories and methods. This Special Issue intends to share advances in understanding the science and practice of wheel–rail tribology. Both experimental and theoretical investigations are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ping Wang
Prof. Dr. Jingmang Xu
Dr. Boyang An
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • contact mechanics
  • relation between rail and wheel
  • wheel–rail tribology
  • wear
  • rolling contact fatigue
  • friction management
  • lubrication

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 8889 KiB  
Article
Two Contributions to Rolling Contact Fatigue Testing Considering Different Diameters of Rail and Wheel Discs
by Jiří Šmach, Radim Halama, Martin Marek, Michal Šofer, Libor Kovář and Petr Matušek
Lubricants 2023, 11(12), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11120504 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1971
Abstract
Scaled rolling contact fatigue tests, used to practically simulate the wear of the wheel and rail material under laboratory conditions, are typically classified into two categories. Tests in the first category use twin-disc stands, while the second group of test rigs use two [...] Read more.
Scaled rolling contact fatigue tests, used to practically simulate the wear of the wheel and rail material under laboratory conditions, are typically classified into two categories. Tests in the first category use twin-disc stands, while the second group of test rigs use two discs of different diameters considering the rail disc as the larger one. The latter setup is closer to the real situation, but problems can occur with high contact pressures and tractions. The focus of this paper is on two main contributions. Firstly, a case study based on finite element analysis is presented, allowing the optimization of the specimen geometry for high contact pressures. Accumulated plastic deformation caused by cycling is responsible for abrupt lateral deformation, which requires the use of an appropriate cyclic plasticity model in the finite element analysis. In the second part of the study, two laser profilers are used to measure the dimensions of the specimen in real time during the rolling contact fatigue test. The proposed technique allows the changes in the specimen dimensions to be characterized during the test itself, and therefore does not require the test to be interrupted. By using real-time values of the specimen’s dimensional contours, it is possible to calculate an instantaneous value of the slip ratio or the contact path width. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wheel and Rail Tribology)
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16 pages, 5924 KiB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of Elastic Layer Effects in Wheel–Rail Rolling Contact
by Ziquan Yan, Xiangyun Deng, Yi-Qing Ni and Linlin Sun
Lubricants 2023, 11(10), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11100415 - 22 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1732
Abstract
In railway systems, layered structures could be induced in wheel–rail contact interfaces due to several causes, such as head hardening, work hardening, plastic deformation, and mechanical or thermal excursion-induced phase transformation. This study proposes an explicit finite element (FE) method for investigating elastic [...] Read more.
In railway systems, layered structures could be induced in wheel–rail contact interfaces due to several causes, such as head hardening, work hardening, plastic deformation, and mechanical or thermal excursion-induced phase transformation. This study proposes an explicit finite element (FE) method for investigating elastic layer effects in wheel–rail rolling contact. The proposed method is first validated by comparing its solution with that of Kalker’s boundary element method (BEM) when the layer is not present, with a focus on the tractive rolling contact. To investigate general layer effects, the rail is assumed to consist of two layers, i.e., the top layer and the matrix material. The top layer is assumed to have different elastic moduli from the matrix material and then the top elastic layer effects on contact characteristics such as contact stress, contact patch, and subsurface stress are investigated. Different layer thicknesses are also considered. It is observed that a harder layer tends to introduce larger contact pressure and surface shear stress, but a smaller contact patch. A harder layer also produces larger subsurface stresses. A thicker layer may intensify these effects. The results suggest that in engineering applications, the analysis of wheel–rail rolling contact consequences such as wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) may need to consider the layered structures using appropriate methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wheel and Rail Tribology)
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14 pages, 5024 KiB  
Article
Thermal–Mechanical Coupling Analysis of Wheel–Rail Sliding Friction under Two-Point Contact Conditions
by Feng Han, Hao Wei and Yang Liu
Lubricants 2023, 11(5), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11050232 - 22 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2478
Abstract
The generation of wheel–rail-sliding frictional heat is often accompanied by transverse displacement of a wheel. To study the thermal problem of wheel–rail sliding friction at two-point contact, this paper uses an LM tread wheel and a 60 kg·m−1 rail as examples. A [...] Read more.
The generation of wheel–rail-sliding frictional heat is often accompanied by transverse displacement of a wheel. To study the thermal problem of wheel–rail sliding friction at two-point contact, this paper uses an LM tread wheel and a 60 kg·m−1 rail as examples. A thermal–mechanical-coupled finite-element model of equal proportion wheel–rail sliding is established. A direct-coupling method is used to analyze the thermal–mechanical coupling of the wheel–rail interface under sliding contact. This model considers the temperature-dependent material properties and boundary conditions, such as thermal convection and thermal dissipation, in the process of nonstationary frictional-heat conduction. Firstly, the effects of different sliding speeds, axle loads, and contact modes on the temperature and stress fields of the contact area are analyzed. Then, the lubrication and cooling effects of friction modifiers on the rail top and rail gauge angle are compared. The results show that, at a sliding speed of 2 m/s and an axle load of 30 t under a sliding condition of 200 mm, on the top and side of the rail, the temperatures at the contact patch centers are 813 °C and 547.7 °C, respectively. Under different operating conditions, the rail-side temperature is 55–75% of that of the temperature at the rail top, and the rail-side contact and friction stress values are 76–96% of those at the rail top. This indicates that frictional thermal damage on the rail side cannot be ignored. With a lower sliding speed, the thermal response of the two contact patches is closer. The impact of axle load on the frictional temperature and stress on the rail side is more critical than the sliding speed. The optimal lubrication choice is overall lubrication, which can decrease the rail top temperature by 47.2% and frictional stress by 56.2%, as well as decreasing the rail side temperature by 70.3% and frictional stress by 77.4%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wheel and Rail Tribology)
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