Influence of sand transport rate on rolling wear and damage behaviors of wheel/rail in Gobi and desert windblown sand environments

In windblown sand environments, sand transport rate (the mass of sand passing through a unit sectional area in a unit time, mg·cm−2·s−1) varies in different underlying surfaces. This work aimed to explore the influence sand transport rate on rolling wear and damage behaviors of wheel and rail materials in Gobi and desert windblown sand environments using experimental method. Results indicated that adhesion generally declined slowly as transport rate increased. The wear rate of wheel and rail decreased sharply from 0 to 0.1 mg·cm−2·s−1, and then did not change drastically. The material removal process under windblown sand environments was proposed. The wear of friction pairs may be reduced significantly by applying the abrasive particles with a small order of feed rate