Tribology of the wheel–rail contact – aspects of wear, particle emission and adhesion

The wheel–rail contact is a safety critical interface. Wear, particle emission and adhesion are all wheel–rail contact phenomena and are discussed here. All three phenomena are material and system parameters and are linked together. Different countermeasures to one phenomenon such as adhesion enhancement with a friction modifier can increase the wear in the contacting bodies. The wear of railway wheels and rail is linked to the number of airborne particles generated, but the exact number and size distribution of the aerosols is unknown. The main objective of this study is to review the recent work in this field and to discuss future trends.