By Jeff Tuzik Railroads around the world have many standards for wheel and rail hardness, with varied theories regarding the interaction of harder and softer steels. And while it is intuitively apparent that harder materials should wear less, last longer and generally provide a net benefit to systemic resilience, the …
By Richard Stock Rail Milling technology, which was introduced by Linsinger about 25 years ago, has been widely used in Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was recently introduced in North America. Unlike other maintenance technologies, rail milling is a non-abrasive cutting process where material is cut from the rail surface …
WRI 2016, Heavy Haul Part 2 See Part 1 By Jeff Tuzik The worst time to explore the complexities of contact mechanics, lubrication, metallurgies, carbody behavior or other aspects of wheel/rail interaction is at a derailment site. But it’s often the most instructive. As George Fowler, Senior Investigator at …
By Jeff Tuzik For over 20 years, the Wheel/Rail Interaction conferences have brought together railway industry professionals, researchers and suppliers to share their expertise in the field of wheel/rail interaction. Until recently, the conferences have been held only in the United States and have drawn on North American experiences. In …
By Jeff Tuzik Maintaining a state of good repair (SGR) weighed heavily on the minds of those in attendance at the 2015 Rail Transit Wheel Rail Interaction Conference, as transit properties will be required to meet requirements established by the Federal Transit Administration as early as next year. SGR – …
By Ryan McWilliams and Eric Eberius Gauge corner cracking (GCC) of the rail from rolling contact fatigue (RCF) is a dangerous and costly form of rail damage. Unfortunately, it’s also notoriously difficult to measure. And as GCC becomes more prevalent on rail systems around the world, accurate measurement is an …
by Brad Kerchof and Huimin Wu Railroad track people know that track degradation is a complex and constant problem. Because so many variables affect track strength, correcting problems when they arise, and correcting them effectively, is no easy task. Norfolk Southern’s Research and Tests Department recently concluded a series of tests …
Part 2. Friction Management, Vehicle Suspension and Measurement Systems By Bob Tuzik, April 2014 Part 1 of this article explored advances in metallurgy, wheel/rail profile design and maintenance practices. Part 2 continues the theme, examining the technologies and techniques that have shaped our understanding of wheel/rail interaction. While the practice of …
By Stephen S. Woody 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 illustrated some the data analysis-related problems that NS experienced and learned from during other six-sigma projects. Part 3 describes two ideas …
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 …