Abstract
In a former study, the authors developed a numerical simulation program in order to predict wheel-wear profiles, especially for wheel flange-wear, of railway vehicles where the rolling contact between wheel and rail causes wheel wear. In this study, a number of wheel profiles of vehicles running on a commercial line have been investigated. The investigation shows that wheel profiles of the same running distance do not always have the same worn profiles, so it is difficult to find the wear-amount tendency toward running distance. Therefore, the authors executed running tests on a test track, which are able to restrict various conditions, such as track curvature, running velocity and lubrication. The results of the tests show that the simulation program is reasonable and applicable to prediction of wheel flange wear.
