Analysis and testing of tread braked railway wheel — Effects of hot spots on wheel performance
Journal article, 2024

To investigate the impact of localised heating phenomena in the form of hot spots on wheel performance in general and on wheel residual stress state in particular, a combination of experimental testing and finite element simulations of tread braked wheels has been performed. Using a newly established full-scale railway brake test rig, a wheel is exposed to prolonged drag braking applications at constant power levels to induce high temperatures on the wheel tread. The distribution and evolution of the temperature is studied using a high-speed, high-resolution thermographic camera in addition to traditional sliding thermocouples. Measured temperature data are then used in combination with a thermomechanically calibrated material model to simulate the wheel behaviour. For this purpose, a 3D finite element model representing a sector of a railway wheel is used. The experimental results show that the temperatures measured utilising sliding thermocouples provide insufficient information since they cannot resolve the uneven tread temperatures given typical response times. Non-uniform heating is found to have a significant effect on tensile residual stresses in the rim. Especially the case with global uneven temperatures is found to generate potentially hazardous residual stresses. The results presents future challenges for the analysis and development of the brake-wheel-rail system.

Elevated temperature

Railway wheels

Pearlitic steel

Tread braking

Finite element analysis

Thermomechanical behaviour

Brake rig testing

Author

Eric Landström Voortman

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Dynamics

Tore V Vernersson

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Dynamics

Roger Lundén

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Dynamics

International Journal of Fatigue

0142-1123 (ISSN)

Vol. 180 108116

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

Vehicle Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2023.108116

More information

Latest update

1/11/2024