Analysis of Railway Vehicle Wheel Wear in Relation to Dynamic Behaviour on Curved Tracks

Wheel wear in railway vehicles is a critical factor affecting operational safety, maintenance costs, and ride comfort. Curved tracks impose complex dynamic interactions between wheels and rails, leading to accelerated wear due to increased lateral forces, slip, and contact stresses. This study examines the influence of wheel wear due to yaw and track irregularity on vehicle dynamic behavior demonstrated in terms of wear depth, derailment coefficient and ride index. Software simulation-based and wear data validation was used. The research utilized an integrated approach combining computational modeling and experimental wear measurements for comprehensive analysis. The wheel-rail contact interaction was modeled using Hertzian contact theory, while multibody dynamics and wear depth calculations were performed using SIMPACK and a custom MATLAB implementation of the Archard wear model. Key parameters examined included curve radius, operating speed, wheelset yaw, and track irregularities, with their effects quantified in terms of wear depth and dynamic performance metrics such as derailment coefficient and ride index. A re-profiling analysis conducted up to 60, 000 km, with wear depth measurements extracted at 10, 000 km intervals. The simulated wear depths closely matched the collected experimental data. Additional case studies revealed that curves with a 50-meter radius produced the most severe wear (6.18 mm), along with an elevated derailment coefficient (1.01) and poor ride comfort - even with the presence of yaw dampers or track irregularities. However, the track irregularities alone had only a minor impact on the derailment coefficient and ride index, their combination with yaw motion significantly worsened both metrics. Consequently, proactive measures should be implemented to mitigate the compounded effects of yaw and track irregularities.