Use of a reduced scale model for the study of wheel/rail interaction

The high frequency dynamic interaction of the wheels rolling on the track is a major contributor to the noise generated by railways. By making use of measurements on a reduced scale laboratory facility, it is possible to study the interaction in a more controllable and accessible way than is possible on an operational railway. A one-fifth scale facility is described along with measurement results. Particular problems of measuring at reduced scale are addressed. Particular attention is given to the influence of the contact patch filtering effects on the wheel and rail surface roughness, the wheel and track dynamics, and the decay of vibration along the length of the rail. Comparisons with the results from a simple prediction model show good agreement