Development of Improved Wheel Friction Block with Integrated Flange Lubrication and Tread Adhesion Functions

This paper describes the development of a wheel friction block that integrates the functions of wheel flange lubrication and tread adhesion improvement. We devised a configuration in which friction material with adhesion increasing material on the tread and material containing solid lubricant with MoS 2 at the flange are applied vertically by a tread cleaning device. The developed blocks were tested for an express train in operation and traveled about 200,000 km. As a result, the wear rate of the wheel flanges was reduced by an average of about 40% compared to the wheel flanges of vehicles not equipped with the developed blocks. variety of earth retaining structure failure modes, therefore in order to be able to ensure rational aseismic reinforcement, it is necessary to develop a range of different aseismic reinforcement methods adapted to the relevant earth retaining structure’s failure mode. Moreover, there are many cases where construction work is severely restricted due to various limitations, such as land boundaries, available space, and time available for construction work. Therefore, the authors propose an aseismic reinforcement method, which can both improve seismic performance of earth retaining structures and be carried out efficiently. This paper outlines this research and describes some examples of the practical application of the newly developed reinforcement method.