By Bob Tuzik • July, 2008 As research into wheel/rail interaction has evolved, the emphasis has moved toward implementation of available technology and conversion of data into information. Such was the case at Wheel/Rail Interaction ’08, the 14th annual seminar produced by Advanced Rail Management and sponsored by Progressive Railroading magazine. Railroaders, researchers …
By Anders Frick and Dr. Wolfgang Schoech • July, 2008 Rail maintenance work is a process of removing metal from the rail head at the right time and at the right place. At first, rail grinding was performed to remove surface irregularities and defects — a process that required significant metal …
By Bob Tuzik • January, 2008 All railways must deal with operating/engineering and vehicle/track interaction issues. But rail transit systems, which operate under the microscope of the urban environment, face special, often unique, challenges. Speakers at Rail Transit ’07, Advanced Rail Management and Interface Journal’s third seminar devoted to wheel/rail interaction on rail …
By Edgar Fischmeister, Markus Ossberger, Roman Pongracz and Paul Mittermayr • January, 2008 Part 1 of this article can be seen here. Rail Grinding Traditionally, the rail head at Wiener Linien was ground as a five-sided polygon (see Figure 1). This approach has some negative impact on wheel wear, especially in …
By Stephen S. Woody • January, 2008 Part 1 of this article examined the results of a six-sigma project that Norfolk Southern initiated to improve the efficiency of its grinding program. Part 2 illustrates some the data analysis-related problems that NS experienced and learned from during other six-sigma projects. One of the most …
By Stephen S. Woody • October, 2007 Quality concepts have been used in various industries for many years to improve productivity, reduce expenses, and eliminate defects. Work done by the Norfolk Southern Research and Tests Department has begun to show that applying quality concepts to wheel/rail interaction can lead to significant operational …
By Edgar Fischmeister, Markus Ossberger, Roman Pongracz and Paul Mittermayr • October, 2007 Rail grinding and wheel re-profiling are essential elements of track and vehicle maintenance. These maintenance procedures have been shown to play a major role in the removal of surface defects or irregularities, and in controlling the shape and surface …
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 Dr. Wolfgang Schoech • July, 2007 Rail grinding practices and requirements have evolved over the years. In the past, rail grinding programs were controlled by railway personnel who were responsible for selecting the sites, choosing the number of grinding passes and determining when a program was finished. Today, grinding programs …
The Art and Science of Rail Grinding, by Allan M. Zarembski Book review by Bob Tuzik • March, 2006 If you’re like me, your filing cabinet is stuffed with articles from various publications. If you’re organized, you may have a specific folder or binder with articles on rail grinding clipped …