Preliminary analysis on effect of sleeper pitch on rail corrugation at a curved track

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of sleeper pitch on the initiation and development of rail corrugation at a curved track when a railway vehicle passes through the curved track using a numerical method. The numerical method considers a combination of Kalker's rolling contact theory with non-Hertzian form, a linear frictional work model and a dynamics model of a half railway vehicle coupled with the curved track. The numerical analysis examines in detail the variations of wheel/rail normal loads, the creepages, and the rail wear volume. The numerical results show that the discrete track supports cause fluctuations in the normal loads and the creepages at different frequencies. These frequencies encapsulate the sleeper passing frequency and the track resonant frequencies higher than the sleeper passing frequency. Consequently rail corrugation with several wavelengths initiates and develops. Also the results show that the contact vibrating frequencies of the four wheels of the same bogie and the rails are different. The rail corrugations caused by the four wheels of the same bogie present different wavelengths and wave depth. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.