Reducing wheel wear from the perspective of rail track layout optimization

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Wheel wear (W-wear) is one of the most critical issues affecting vehicle-track performances and operating costs. Currently, the works on W-wear behavior and W-wear reduction are mainly based on four aspects: wheel-rail (WR) tribology, WR profile, vehicle structure design and active control of vehicle suspensions. Little attention has been paid to the effects of track layout parameters, such as superelevation, gauge, and cant. To supplement the existing research, this work aims to investigate the relationship between W-wear and track layout parameters and ultimately reduce W-wear through optimizing track layout parameters. The framework consists of a series of steps. Firstly, a multibody dynamics simulation (MBS) model of an Sgnss wagon with 55 degrees of freedom (DOFs) is built. Then, taking a 375-m-radius curve as a case, the influence of track layout parameter (superelevation, gauge, and cant) on W-wear and vehicle derailment safety is investigated based on Kriging surrogate model (KSM). Finally, based on optimized results obtained by KSM and particle swarm optimization (PSO), two optimal regions and three reasonable suggestions concerning the layout of a 375-m-radius curve are given from the perspective of reducing W-wear. This study is promising for the parameter setting of those dedicated lines, on which the train speed is usually fixed, such as metro, light rail, and tram.EC/FP7/234079/EU/Railway Vehicle Dynamics and Track Interactions Total Regulatory Acceptance for the Interoperable Network/DYNOTRAI