Generic Wheel/Rail Profiles for Commuter Railroads [Research Results]

Federal Railroad Administration2008PDFBriefMagel, EricNational Research Council CanadaUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Research and DevelopmentUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad AdministrationUnited StatesDerailmentsFlangesRailroad commuter serviceRailroad safetyRailroad transportationRolling contactWheel profilesRR08-20In support of efforts to address wheel climb and other wheel/rail interaction problems on commuter railroads, the Office of Research and Development of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sponsored a program to develop improved wheel and rail profiles specifically for commuter systems. The National Research Council Canada (NRCC) designed wheel profiles improve on the existing profiles of many railroads by: Implementing a 75-degree wheel flange angle to minimize the potential for wheel-climb derailment. Adopting a shape similar to that generated by averaging the thousands of worn wheels analyzed in this program. Both 1:40 and 1:20 thread taper variants are provided. A set of five generic rail templates have also been designed for good compatibility with the NRCC-COM40 wheel. A key goal of these rail profiles is to spread out wear on the wheel to help it retain its favorable shape, at the same time controlling contact stress and wear. The FRA-H1 and FRA-H2 rail templates apply to the outside rail of curves. The FRAH1 provides a single point, conformal contact and promotes steering. The FRA-H2 is relieved in the mid-gauge and provides a two-point conformal contact for softer steels and/or long grinding intervals. The FRA-CPG (tangent-gauge), FRA-CPC (tangent central), and FRA-CPF (tangent field) templates provide three distinct tangent track running bands that spread wear across the wheel tread, with the goal of reducing wheel hollowing and maintaining the rail shape. Either the FRA-CPC or FRA-CPF can be applied to the low rail.127