Effect of gauge corner lubrication on wheel/rail non-Hertzian contact and rail surface damage on the curves

Wheel/rail rolling contact is a highly nonlinear issue affected by the complicated operating environment (including adhesion conditions and motion attitude of train and track system), which is a fundamental topic for further insight into wheel/rail tread wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF). The rail gauge corner lubrication (RGCL) devices have been installed on the metro outer rail to mitigate its wear on the curved tracks. This paper presents an investigation into the influence of RGCL on wheel/rail non-Hertzian contact and rail surface RCF on the curves through numerical analysis. To this end, a metro vehicle-slab track interaction dynamics model is extended, in which an accurate wheel/rail non-Hertzian contact algorithm is implemented. The influence of RGCL on wheel/rail creep, contact stress and adhesion-slip distributions and fatigue damage of rail surface are evaluated. The simulation results show that RGCL can markedly affect wheel/rail contact on the tight curves. It is further suggested that RGCL can reduce rail surface RCF on tight curves through the wheel/rail low-friction interactions.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the influence of rail gauge corner lubrication (RGCL) on wheel/rail non-Hertzian contact and rail surface rolling contact fatigue (RCF) on curves through numerical analysis. The results show that RGCL can significantly affect wheel/rail contact and reduce rail surface RCF on tight curves through low-friction interactions between the wheel and the rail.