Influence of wheel turning trace on wheel/rail tangential contact force characteristics under wet condition

Abstract

It is generally known that the groove on tire tread can increase the friction force between the tire and the road surface under wet condition because of the improvement of drainage performance. Although wheel tread of actual railway rolling stocks have a wheel turning trace like the groove on tire tread, the characteristics of tangential contact force of the wheel/rail under wet condition is not clarified in detail. In this study, the tangential contact force measurement using a pair of small cylindrical specimens was carried out to investigate the relationship between the wheel turning trace and the friction force under wet condition. The experimental result shows the friction force under wet condition does not increase due to high iron’s stiffness if the wheel turning trace provided on the tread. On the other hand, it is also confirmed that the wheel turning trace has a reduction effect of the variation of the friction coefficient under wet condition. From the numerical analysis based on these experimental results, it is clarified that the longitudinal vibration of the vehicle can be decreased if the wheel has the wheel turning trace in case of the braking running under semi-wet condition.