The tiny contact zone (approximately 1 cm2) where steel wheel meets steel rail is fundamental to rail transport. This work is a comprehensive presentation of recent research in wheel–rail contact tribology. It stresses that, unlike gears or rolling bearings which are sealed contacts with reduced exposure to the surrounding environment, a wheel–rail contact is an open system that is exposed to dirt and particles as well as to applied and natural lubrication (the latter category includes rain, dew, and biological materials such as leaves). As an open system contact, it also radiates sound and airborne wear particles. These characteristics of an open system underscore the need for special studies of open system tribology. Areas requiring study include airborne particle emissions and the environmental effects of applied lubrication and friction modification. Given that adhesion, wear, and sound and particle emission are closely related in an open system, these should be studied together rather than independently.
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November 2017
Review Articles
Open System Tribology in the Wheel–Rail Contact—A Literature Review
Ulf Olofsson,
Ulf Olofsson
Professor
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
e-mail: ulfo@kth.se
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
e-mail: ulfo@kth.se
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Yezhe Lyu
Yezhe Lyu
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
Search for other works by this author on:
Ulf Olofsson
Professor
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
e-mail: ulfo@kth.se
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
e-mail: ulfo@kth.se
Yezhe Lyu
Department of Machine Design,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
KTH Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm SE 100 44, Sweden
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received February 21, 2017; final manuscript received October 9, 2017; published online November 14, 2017. Editor: Harry Dankowicz.
Appl. Mech. Rev. Nov 2017, 69(6): 060803 (10 pages)
Published Online: November 14, 2017
Article history
Received:
February 21, 2017
Revised:
October 9, 2017
Citation
Olofsson, U., and Lyu, Y. (November 14, 2017). "Open System Tribology in the Wheel–Rail Contact—A Literature Review." ASME. Appl. Mech. Rev. November 2017; 69(6): 060803. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4038229
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