A novel non-Hertzian wheel-rail adhesion model under wet conditions considering surface roughness

Abstract

Precise solutions for wheel-rail adhesion are important to the traction and braking of the high-speed trains under wet conditions. Current models predominantly rely on Hertzian contact theory assumptions. The present work proposes a novel non-Hertzian wheel-rail adhesion model to clarify the adhesion mechanisms under wet conditions. The non-Hertzian elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model was developed to obtain wheel-rail normal contact pressure under wet conditions with rough surfaces. The non-Hertzian extended creep force (ECF) model, which considers the effects of pressure and temperature on the elastic-plastic characteristics of the third body layer (3BL), was used to solve the tangential problems based on wheel-rail normal contact results. The numerical model was also validated by the high-speed wheel-rail adhesion laboratory tests. The wheel-rail rolling contact characteristics at different wheelset lateral displacements are investigated. The results reveal that the distributions of normal pressure, film thickness, tangential stress, and temperature show typical non-Hertzian characteristics. Finally, the effects of train speed and surface roughness on the adhesion characteristics are studied at different lateral displacements. The findings show that the present model can be used for the prediction of high-speed railway adhesion characteristics.

Keywords

wheel-rail adhesion / non-Hertzian contact / mixed lubrication / wet conditions / surface roughness

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Central South University