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The Journal of Wheel/Rail Interaction
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Rock ’til You Drop: Starting and Stopping Harmonic Rock and Roll

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Gary Wolf, Rail Maintenance, Track Geometry, Vehicle/Track

By Gary Wolf • February 1, 2005 It’s said that “it takes two to tango,” but it takes three critical elements to induce harmonic rock and roll: Like many of the other legendary “rockers,” freight car rock and roll came to the forefront in the ‘70s. The introduction of high-center-of-gravity, 100-ton …

Drilling Down to Top-of-Rail Friction Control

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Friction Management, Rail Transit

by Bob Tuzik February 1, 2005 There are two primary approaches to friction management on rail transit systems: onboard and wayside. The most effective method depends upon the demands of the system. A relatively small system with consistent degrees of curvature, for example, might lend itself to onboard application. A system with …

Rail Fixation Reduces Vibration

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Noise and Vibration, Rail Transit

by Bob Tuzik, January 1, 2005 When NYCTA wanted a new fastener that was 35% “softer” than the softest DF fastener it had in use, a fastener that would not raise the track by more than 1-1/8 inches (30 mm), Dynamic Engineering designed the APT-BF system. The APT-BF fastener incorporates two elastic …

Flange Climb and Independently Rotating Wheels

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Rail Transit, Vehicle/Track, Wheel/Rail Interaction, Wheel/Rail Profile

by Bob Tuzik, December 1, 2004 Investigations have shown that wheel-flange/gauge-face angle and the coefficient of friction (COF) play significant roles in contributing to or preventing flange-climb derailments. Investigations have also shown that Light Rail Vehicles with Independently Rotating Wheels (IRWs) have a greater propensity for flange-climb derailment than vehicles with conventional …

Effects of Wide Gauge on Derailment Potential (Part 2 of 2)

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Rail Maintenance, Track Geometry, Vehicle/Track

By Gary P. Wolf • January 1, 2005 Part 1 of “Effects of Wide Gauge on Derailment Potential” examined how wide gauge occurs, some of the symptoms and reasons why wide gauge is undesirable. Part 2 of this article explores how to correctly measure gauge and properly identify wide gauge …

Effects of Wide Gauge on Derailment Potential (Part 1 of 2)

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Rail Maintenance, Track Geometry, Vehicle/Track

By Gary P. Wolf • December 1, 2004 “Wide gauge” is one of the most often used FRA derailment codes. In 2003, 254 derailments were reported to have been caused by wide gauge (FRA code T110 or T111). This represents nearly 13% of all derailments reported to the FRA, and roughly …

Designing Amtrak’s Wayside Train/Track Interaction Detection System

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Measurement Systems, Rail Transit, Vehicle/Track

by Bob Tuzik, December 1, 2004 As part of its effort to monitor dynamic vehicle/track interaction on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak commissioned ENSCO, Inc., to develop a Wayside Train/Track Interaction Detection System. The goal was to measure and collect information on vehicle/track forces that would enable Amtrak to determine the causes of …

Examining wheel/rail interaction on rail transit systems

January 3, 2014 | Filed under: Friction Management, Gary Wolf, Noise and Vibration, Rail Grinding, Rail Transit, Wheel Maintenance, Wheel/Rail Interaction

By Bob Tuzik • November 4, 2004 If the first unwritten rule in optimizing the wheel/rail interface on rail transit is: Know your system; the second rule should be: Recognize that the w/r interface is a system. “No single department can attack the issues in isolation and expect to get very far,” Joseph Oriolo, Senior …

Inspection and Analysis of Switch Derailments (Part 2 of 2)

January 2, 2014 | Filed under: Gary Wolf, Rail Maintenance, Vehicle/Track, Wheel Maintenance

By Gary Wolf Part 1 of this article examined trailing-point derailments, facing-point derailments and thin flange wheels. Part 2 examines wheel climb and frog-related derailments. Crosslevel variances in turnout geometry represent a common cause of wheel-climb derailments. It’s not unusual to find bolted or insulated joints within 30 to 40 …

Switch Point Derailments: Is it the point or the wheel? (Part 1 of 2)

January 2, 2014 | Filed under: Gary Wolf, Rail Maintenance, Wheel Maintenance

By Gary Wolf No other type of derailment causes as much angst among railroaders as the switch point derailment. The switch point derailment can take several forms, but it generally boils down to a disagreement between the Mechanical Department that blames the switch point, and the Engineering Department that blames …

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