FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES RELATED TO WHEEL-RAIL CONTACT STRESS

This Final Report summarizes the research performed and provides a brief review of the major results of the program. The problems discussed include: the development of cost-effective methods for finding the wheel-rail contact patch, finding subsurface internal stresses, determining points where plastic flow will first occur, finding the distribution of surface shear stresses on the contact patch, finding the boundary between slip and adhesion on the contact patch, and finding the relationship between applied forces and wheel-rail creepage. This work will be useful in explaining, and devising means of preventing various forms of stress-induced rail and wheel failures, as well as a whole complex of problems related to wheel-rail guidance and tractive forces. In particular, the dynamic behavior of rail vehicles can be analyzed relative to the forces developed at the rail-wheel interface.

• Record URL:
  https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/fundamental-studies-related-wheelrail-contact-stress
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

  Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics
  Philadelphia, PA  United States  19104

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Paul, B
• Publication Date: 1981-1

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures;
• Pagination: 29 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car wheels (Railroads); Creep; Elasticity (Mechanics); Failure; Force; Rail (Railroads); Rolling contact; Stresses; Structural analysis; Wheels
• Old TRIS Terms: Rail failure; Rail stress; Wheel creep; Wheel failure; Wheel stresses
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00341256
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-81/05 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-OS-60144
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 15 1981 12:00AM