New experimental evidences of corrugation formation due to rail longitudinal vibration mode

Abstract

This paper aims at identifying the formation mechanism of short pitch rail corrugation using an improved configuration of a 1/5 scaled V-Track test rig. The loading conditions of the V-Track are designed to simulate the wheel-rail dynamic interactions on the tangent track. Corrugation initiation and consistent growth are successfully produced on the rail surface with a characteristic wavelength of about 6.0 mm, equivalent to the field one of 30 mm. By analysing the wheel-rail dynamic forces, the wheel and track dynamic behaviours across different rotations, it is found that the rail longitudinal vibration mode and its induced longitudinal dynamic force determine the corrugation formation with the necessary initial excitation.