Wheel Wear Evolution of Solid-Axle Wheelset with Active Steering

Active steering is an attractive technology to improve vehicle curving performance. It can reduce the track shift force and wear index in curves, but it is still unknown how much material removal across the wheel profile can be reduced and how it would affect the wheel wear evolution, which is crucial to motivate the implementation of active steering. This paper studies the wheel profile evolution under the presence of active steering. An iterative wear calculation approach is applied based on Archard's wear model. Two practical steering control strategies are proposed. The wheel wear simulations are performed in three different scenarios, considering different rail cants and proportions of curves. The simulation results reveal the wear pattern of the actively steered vehicle and verify the reduced material removal across the wheel profile especially on the wheel flange. The two control strategies are also compared and evaluated for the future application of the active steering system.