Numerical and experimental evaluation of extreme wheel-rail loads for improved wheelset design

The knowledge of extreme loads is of fundamental importance for the fatigue design of railway wheelsets. In the present research, attention is focused on the effect of impulsive loads produced by the negotiation of turnouts and other singularities in the line and by wheelflats. Numerical investigations were performed using a train/track interaction mathematical model accounting for different types of impulsive loads, and the results were compared with measurements performed by an instrumented test train on a railway line and on a test circuit. The results show that singularities in the line and wheelflats actually produce extremely high train–track interaction effects, although the stresses in the axle seem to be only marginally affected.