Estimating the damage of railway carriage wheels equipped with disc brakes

TL;DR

This paper develops a method to estimate damage on railway wheels caused by lock-up braking, analyzing contact mechanics, adhesion, and thermal effects to improve safety and maintenance strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified thermal simulation to predict martensite formation and reviews wheel-slide protection system requirements.

Findings

Identified key contact parameters affecting wheel damage

Developed a thermal model to predict material phase changes

Reviewed current wheel-slide protection standards

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to estimate the damage of railway carriage wheels caused by lock-up braking. First, we investigate the typical characteristics of wheel-rail contact including the parameters of contact patch, longitudinal creep and coefficient of adhesion. Then we show the current requirements concerning the wheel-slide protection systems and determine the points which should be reviewed. To predict the effect of the sliding phenomenon, material properties are needed, as well. Afterwards, a simplified thermal simulation is built to estimate where martensite formation may occur.