The tool for wheel profile wear research from the track composition point of view

The wheel profile of a rail vehicle is one of the key elements on which its ride dynamics depend. Even small changes in the wheel tread geometry resulting from its gradual wearing can significantly affect not only passenger comfort, but also result in a change in vehicle behavior when running on a straight track, and when running through a track curve, there is a significant change in the forces acting in the wheel-rail contact. The aim of the authors is to clarify the causes of wear by using simulation analysis of a vehicle ride and subsequent processing of the results in their own software, allowing to plot various parameters of the wheel-rail contact in relation to their location on the wheel profile. The value of the presented parameters is also interpreted in relation to the radius of the curve of the track where they occurred. The paper describes software designed by the authors as a tool for research of causes of wear, presents used algorithms and mathematical-analytical apparatus.The wheel profile of a rail vehicle is one of the key elements on which its ride dynamics depend. Even small changes in the wheel tread geometry resulting from its gradual wearing can significantly affect not only passenger comfort, but also result in a change in vehicle behavior when running on a straight track, and when running through a track curve, there is a significant change in the forces acting in the wheel-rail contact. The aim of the authors is to clarify the causes of wear by using simulation analysis of a vehicle ride and subsequent processing of the results in their own software, allowing to plot various parameters of the wheel-rail contact in relation to their location on the wheel profile. The value of the presented parameters is also interpreted in relation to the radius of the curve of the track where they occurred. The paper describes software designed by the authors as a tool for research of causes of wear, presents used algorithms and mathematical-analytical apparatus.