Maintenance Matters: Why a Healthy Wheel/Rail Interface is Essential to Your Bottom Line

Much has been written and done in the last ten years about creating and maintaining a healthy wheel/rail interface. Before substantial changes were made to truck design and wheel and rail profiles, wheels lasted less than 20,000 miles; today's metro gets more than 350,000 miles of life from a wheel. The wheel/rail interface is a small area, called the contact patch, and about the size of a dime, where the wheel meets the rail. A healthy wheel/rail interface encompasses two things: ensures that the transverse wheel and rail profiles promote wheel set steering and spread wear evenly; and ensures that a friction management program is in place to lubricate the gauge face and control friction at the top of rail. The article spells out that a complete friction management program means: lubrication of the gauge face of the rail and the wheel flange face to bring the coefficient of friction to less than 0.2; controlling the friction coefficient on the top of the rail to a value between 0.3 and 0.4. The article also describes: how a healthy wheel/rail interface improves system performance; how a healthy wheel/rail interface is achieved; and how much can be saved by implementing an optimized wheel/rail interface.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1794668
• Authors:
  • Prahl, Fred
• Publication Date: 2005-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: pp 54-58
• Serial:
  • Mass Transit
  • Volume: 31
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Cygnus Publishing, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0364-3484
  • Serial URL: http://www.masstransitmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car wheels (Railroads); Lubrication; Maintenance; Preventive maintenance; Rail transit; Rolling contact; Wear
• Uncontrolled Terms: Friction control systems
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01002364
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 12 2005 10:31AM