Harmonization of rail profiles and wheel pair

Abstract

The main difficulty of developing measures for complex evaluation of loading and increasing of resource of running gear parts performance is considering of differences of performance conditions of wheel-rail system. The article presents review of Russian and foreign experience on selection of shapes of carriage wheel profiles depending on the development of railway machinery and changes in terms of operation. It is noted that complexity of task of selecting profile shape is that it needs to consider performance of three different designs: wheel pair, rail and turnout. Each of these mutually affecting designs during its life cycle has its own features in maintenance, terms and forms of wear. The great contribution in development and implementation of the Strategy of improvement of wheel-rail interaction, due to implementation of lubrication technology of the area of contact of wheel flange and side edge of rail head, was made theoretical and experimental studies of scientists and researchers of VNIIZhT. Performing complex measures allows from the middle of 90-ies of XX-th century stabilizing operational work and decreasing operational costs for domestic railways. A conclusion was made on the fact that in modern terms development of interconnecting profiles should be made for express and high-speed lines, specializing for freight and heavy haul service, and operating in mixed service. It is feasible to put common height of wheel flanges of locomotives and wagons, excluding transmission of traction force from locomotives through wheel flange to side edge of rail head, and also to organize profile processing of rails in curves and on tangent sections with rail grinding vehicles to make required form of rail head.