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Wheel/Rail Interaction

Better Track Geometry Through Better Ballast Maintenance

January 29, 2025 | Filed under: Ballast, Tamping, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Maintenance is a balancing act. Time is limited, budgets are limited, resources are limited. These limited resources and the pressure to make the most out of tight maintenance windows often drives an ethos that places a premium on the speed and performance of maintenance actions, personnel, and …

Assessing the Findings of a Derailment Investigation: Was the Right Cause Found?

January 21, 2025 | Filed under: Derailment, Gary Wolf, Heavy Haul, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

by Jeff Tuzik The Great Dismal Swamp. An ominous name. And in June of 2019, it was the site of a Norfolk Southern derailment. At NS, all derailments are investigated to determine the cause(s) and to provide data that could help prevent future incidents. Brad Kerchof, formerly Director of Research …

Wheel/Rail Profile Optimization on Wiener Linien’s Vienna Underground line U6

December 6, 2024 | Filed under: Rail Transit, Wheel/Rail Interaction, Wheel/Rail Profile, WRI Conference

by Jeff Tuzik One of the surest and most common signs that something is amiss at the wheel/rail interface is accelerated wear of the wheels, rail, or both. Occasionally the solution to the problem is straight-forward and site-specific. But more often, abnormal wear appears as a symptom of fundamental, systemic …

Examining the Role of Wheel/Rail Interaction in a Unit Train Derailment

October 30, 2024 | Filed under: Derailment, Heavy Haul, Vehicle/Track, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Derailments happen. The minor ones cause damage and disruption; the big ones make the news. While there are derailments attributed to a single vehicle or track cause, often, the cause is the result of a combination of vehicle- and track-related contributing factors, underscoring that vehicle/track interaction is a …

Friction Management: Implementation and State of Good Repair

August 20, 2024 | Filed under: Friction Management, Maintenance, Measurement Systems, Wheel/Rail Interaction

By Jeff Tuzik This article originally appeared in the July/August issue of Mass Transit. Friction management is a well-established technology in the rail transit industry. Its significance is such that it is considered one of the five pillars of wheel/rail interface management Davey Mitchell, Commercial Manager of Friction Modifier at …

Stuart Grassie is the recipient of Wheel Rail Seminars’ 2024 Worth Award

June 21, 2024 | Filed under: Rail Transit, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

by Jeff Tuzik Stuart Grassie, Principal, Rail Measurement Ltd and Stuart Grassie Engineering Ltd, is the recipient of the 2024 Worth Award. The award, presented by Wheel Rail Seminars at the annual Wheel/Rail Interaction conference in May, is named for Art Worth, who was Manager of Standards and retired as …

New Approaches to Dynamic Wheel Force Measurement – Part 2

April 9, 2024 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Measurement Systems, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

by Jeff Tuzik Part 1 of this article focused on past and present research into wheel condition and behavior monitoring via wayside-based continuous measurement systems. Using an overlapping combination of strain gauges and load cells, such systems can measure a wide range of dynamic wheel forces, and parameters like wheel …

New Approaches to Dynamic Wheel Force Measurement – Part 1

March 29, 2024 | Filed under: Measurement Systems, Vehicle/Track, Wheel/Rail Interaction, WRI Conference

by Jeff Tuzik The mechanics of wheel/rail interaction are in many ways at the core of railroading and the defining characteristic of how a train gets from here to there. Because rail typically represents a railroad’s largest financial asset, track-related issues are often front and center, even when it comes …

Mitigating Rolling Contact Fatigue: An Overview for 2023

March 5, 2024 | Filed under: Friction Management, Rail Grinding, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) affects railroads and transit systems globally. The effects of RCF damage range from poor ride quality and excessive noise, to shelling and spalling so deep and widespread that rail sections must be replaced. Over time, the railroad and transit industries have developed tools …

MRS Logística: A History of Innovation and Optimization

November 8, 2023 | Filed under: Heavy Haul, Wheel/Rail Interaction

by Jeff Tuzik Some challenges in the railroad industry are local, some are universal. Brazil’s MRS Logística has met its share of both. Their efforts to maintain, modernize, and optimize their network over the past 30 years highlight the importance of approaching all challenges from a system-wide perspective, and of …

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