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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Rolling Contact Fatigue Testing of Two Different Wheel Steels Under Various Temperatures and Slip Ratios

Document Series:
Technical Reports
Author:
  • Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-22/26
Office
RDI-22
Subject:
Rolling Stock
Keywords:
Wheel, rolling contact fatigue, RCF, wear, temperature, slip ratio, traction coefficient, tests

This report presents the results and findings from a testing program conducted to investigate how wheel temperature may affect wheel surface performance, i.e., the development of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and wear from November 2019. Under this testing program, a twin disc test machine was used to test two different types of wheel steels (i.e., cast and forged) under a range of temperatures (i.e., ambient to 800 ℉) and slip ratios from 0 to 0.75 percent. This testing program included a total of 32 tests, covering two types of wheel materials, four different temperatures, four slip ratios, and various traction coefficients as a ratio of longitudinal and vertical wheel/rail contact forces.


Last updated: Friday, July 8, 2022