Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems

Flanges are critical parts of railway wheels that guide the wheels on the track and prevent them from derailing. However, curved tracks have a great influence on wheel flange wear, which leads to increased maintenance costs, passenger discomfort, poor ride quality, and increased noise and vibrations...

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Main Authors: Namayanja Zainah, Nkundineza Celestin, Zewdie Behailu Mamo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2024-12-01
Series:Open Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2024-0089
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author Namayanja Zainah
Nkundineza Celestin
Zewdie Behailu Mamo
author_facet Namayanja Zainah
Nkundineza Celestin
Zewdie Behailu Mamo
author_sort Namayanja Zainah
collection DOAJ
description Flanges are critical parts of railway wheels that guide the wheels on the track and prevent them from derailing. However, curved tracks have a great influence on wheel flange wear, which leads to increased maintenance costs, passenger discomfort, poor ride quality, and increased noise and vibrations. This research aims to analyze the effect of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction using the multi-body simulation software SIMPACK. The wheel flange wear was calculated to determine how much material is lost in terms of the area of material loss for different curve radii of 50, 100, and 200 m. The obtained results show that at curved track sections of smaller radius, for example, 50 m, the occurrence of wheel flange thickness reduction is higher than that of curved track sections with larger radii. Also, high speeds such as 40 km/h, especially at the track curved sections with small radii, lead to an increase in wheel flange thickness reduction compared to track curved sections with large radii. The results of wear indices obtained using SIMPACK and VAMPIR closely matched with a small percentage error difference of 1.94%. The matching of these results validated the effectiveness of the methods used in this research to calculate wear. Therefore, these conclusions will assist maintenance personnel in developing countermeasures to minimize wheel flange thickness reduction, ensure proper re-profiling, and reduce maintenance costs.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2391-5439
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher De Gruyter
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spelling doaj-art-a0c9d61eef484981812672a0fa675d3e2024-12-10T07:31:08ZengDe GruyterOpen Engineering2391-54392024-12-01141p. 223210.1515/eng-2024-0089Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systemsNamayanja Zainah0Nkundineza Celestin1Zewdie Behailu Mamo2African Railway Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAfrican Railway Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAfrican Railway Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaFlanges are critical parts of railway wheels that guide the wheels on the track and prevent them from derailing. However, curved tracks have a great influence on wheel flange wear, which leads to increased maintenance costs, passenger discomfort, poor ride quality, and increased noise and vibrations. This research aims to analyze the effect of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction using the multi-body simulation software SIMPACK. The wheel flange wear was calculated to determine how much material is lost in terms of the area of material loss for different curve radii of 50, 100, and 200 m. The obtained results show that at curved track sections of smaller radius, for example, 50 m, the occurrence of wheel flange thickness reduction is higher than that of curved track sections with larger radii. Also, high speeds such as 40 km/h, especially at the track curved sections with small radii, lead to an increase in wheel flange thickness reduction compared to track curved sections with large radii. The results of wear indices obtained using SIMPACK and VAMPIR closely matched with a small percentage error difference of 1.94%. The matching of these results validated the effectiveness of the methods used in this research to calculate wear. Therefore, these conclusions will assist maintenance personnel in developing countermeasures to minimize wheel flange thickness reduction, ensure proper re-profiling, and reduce maintenance costs.https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2024-0089railway vehicle dynamicsrailway track geometrywheel–rail interactioncontact forceswheel flange wearmultibody system simulationcreep forcescreepagescurved track sectionwear
spellingShingle Namayanja Zainah
Nkundineza Celestin
Zewdie Behailu Mamo
Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
Open Engineering
railway vehicle dynamics
railway track geometry
wheel–rail interaction
contact forces
wheel flange wear
multibody system simulation
creep forces
creepages
curved track section
wear
title Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
title_full Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
title_fullStr Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
title_short Analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
title_sort analyzing the impact of curved tracks on wheel flange thickness reduction in railway systems
topic railway vehicle dynamics
railway track geometry
wheel–rail interaction
contact forces
wheel flange wear
multibody system simulation
creep forces
creepages
curved track section
wear
url https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2024-0089
work_keys_str_mv AT namayanjazainah analyzingtheimpactofcurvedtracksonwheelflangethicknessreductioninrailwaysystems
AT nkundinezacelestin analyzingtheimpactofcurvedtracksonwheelflangethicknessreductioninrailwaysystems
AT zewdiebehailumamo analyzingtheimpactofcurvedtracksonwheelflangethicknessreductioninrailwaysystems