Contact mechanics and wear in train and railway asset management

Paper in proceeding, 2025

Railway asset management is studied with focus on deterioration phenomena with their origin in the wheel/rail contact patch. Different asset management strategies are discussed and contrasted to the potential of digital twins at different levels, and the requirements in the ISO 55000 standard on asset management. It is concluded that a balanced digital twin strategy facilitates the fulfilment of many of the demands in ISO 55000, but that wheel/rail contact deterioration phenomena impose additional requirements on predictive modelling.