Wheel wear prediction for high-speed trains by considering wheel-rail elastic deformation

Wheel-rail geometric parameters are crucial for determining wheel wear in high-speed trains. Under the action of a wheel-rail load, both the wheel and rail suffer elastic deformation, which affects the wheel-rail contact relationship and further influences the wheel profile and its evolution. In this study, a field test was conducted on a high-speed train operating at 250 km/h, and the worn wheel profiles and wear curves were continuously measured for one reprofiling cycle. Subsequently, a vehicle dynamics model is built using a wheel wear prediction model based on the integrated USFD wear algorithm. In this model, the finite element model of the wheel-rail contact is considered. The wheel-rail geometric parameters are obtained by determining their elastic deformation through the finite element method, which considers the effect of three parameters: the track gauge, back-to-back space of the wheelset, and rail cant. After considering the wheel-rail elastic deformation, the track gauge decreases from 1435 to 1434.5 mm, the back-to-back space varies from 1353 to 1352.3 mm, and the rail cant changes from 1:40 to approximately 1:37. Finally, the simulation and experimental results are compared, revealing that the wheel-rail elastic deformation has a significant impact on the wheel wear after the vehicle travels 150,000 km. The wear depth and wheel-rail equivalent conicity after considering the elastic deformation are closer to the measured results.