By Radovan Sarunac and Peter Klauser • October 2007 Part 1 of this article examined the effects of track geometry, wheel/rail profiles, friction, and wheel flange angle on wheel-climb derailment potential. Part 2 examines the effects of wheel unloading due to air spring imbalance on derailment potential. The secondary suspension of …
By Gary P. Wolf • July, 2007 Much has been written and said about the need to optimize the interface between the wheel and rail, but with the growth of heavy axle load traffic, the mandate for optimum performance is greater than ever. Balancing the wheel/rail equation and optimizing interaction can …
By Radovan Sarunac and Peter Klauser • July, 2007 Low-speed wheel-climb derailments are certainly not a new phenomenon. Investigations into the likely causes have long since identified the primary factors. Sometimes, however, old lessons need to be relearned. While all aspects of wheel/rail interaction, which includes wheel/rail profiles, friction, track geometry, …
By Bob Tuzik • July, 2007 You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again. Delegates to the 13th Annual Wheel/Rail Interaction Seminar presented by Interface Journaland Advanced Rail Management heard it time and again over the course of the seminar: The wheel/rail interface is a system. And when there are problems, as …
By B. McGuire, R. Sarunac, R. B. Wiley and P. Klauser • April, 2007 Part 1 of this article examined ways in which the use of vehicle performance detectors is steadily growing on North American freight and high-speed passenger railways. With the installation of a Wayside Wheel/Rail Load Detector on …
By B. McGuire, R. Sarunac, R. B. Wiley and P. Klauser • April, 2007 The use of vehicle performance detectors is steadily growing on North American freight and high-speed passenger railways. With the installation of a Wayside Wheel/Rail Load Detector (WRLD) on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the trend …
By Gary Wolf • January, 2007 The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has promulgated a new Rule 46 in the Field Manual of the AAR Interchange Rules. This new rule represents a comprehensive effort to codify under one umbrella many of the formerly fragmented rules dealing with truck wear limits, maintenance …
By Roy E. Smith • March, 2006 The introduction of new, low-floor vehicles into existing North American transit systems has provided an attractive means of meeting current operating requirements. By the same token, their introduction has created a number of vehicle/track compatibility issues—particularly when these modern cars are introduced into older …
By Robert Masar • March, 2006 Significant increases in high-speed international traffic throughout Europe have led European railways to establish new comprehensive technical rules to ensure acceptable parameters for vehicle/track interaction. Current measuring systems and data collection and processing capabilities have made it possible to test and homologate new railway vehicles …
By Gary Wolf • January, 2006 Railroad engineering managers have been struggling with the problem of how much elevation to place in a curve since the first steam engines started turning a wheel. While the physics and calculus of the matter seem straightforward, the application of those formulas is where problems …