LAUSR

Abstract In railway operations, wear prediction due to wheel-rail interaction is crucial for different aspects such as running stability, passenger safety and comfort, life cycle optimization and maintenance scheduling. In this article, wheel wear is estimated through co-simulation between multi-body vehicle dynamic model developed in Adams™ VI-Rail™ software and wear evolution model developed in MATLAB® software. Semi-Hertzian/STRIPES approach and modified Kalker's FASTSIM approach are used for calculating normal and tangential stresses, respectively. The contact patch obtained from dynamic analysis is discretized into strips and variations of contact angle and spin for each strip, although small, are taken into account. Archard's wear formulation is applied for each strip within the contact patch. The wheel profiles are smoothened and are updated at intervals for further dynamic analysis. This way, the outputs from dynamic analysis (contact patches, creep forces, etc.) are input to the wear evolution model and the outputs from the wear evolution model (worn wheel profiles) are fed to the dynamic analysis. The wear at the flange and tread portions of the wheels during the normal service condition in an operational track sector between two major rail stations in India, containing curved and straight portions, speed variation (acceleration and braking), and corresponding track configurations (super-elevation, irregularities, etc.) are estimated and the wheel re-profiling schedule was obtained. In addition, the influences of the various stages of wheel wear on the dynamic responses such as curving performance, critical speed and ride comfort of the railway vehicle on the simulated test track are evaluated to justify the maintenance/wheel re-profiling schedule.