Parametric investigation of railway fastenings into the formation and mitigation of short pitch corrugation

Short pitch corrugation has been a problem for railways worldwide over one century. In this paper, a parametric investigation of fastenings is conducted to understand the corrugation formation mechanism and gain insights into corrugation mitigation. A three-dimensional finite element vehicle–track dynamic interaction model is employed, which...

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

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...

An integrated 3D dynamic FE vehicle-track model in elasto-plasticity to investigate short pitch corrugation under cyclic wheel loads

The mechanism of rail short pitch corrugation has remained elusive in the past. The damage mechanisms of the corrugation are reported to be differential wear or plastic deformation. The former has been extensively studied, while the plastic deformation, especially under multiple wheel passages has been seldom studied. To uncover the facts...

Experimental study on the development mechanism of short pitch corrugation using a downscale V-Track test rig

This paper presents an experimental study on the development mechanism of short pitch corrugation using an innovative downscale V-Track test rig. Rail corrugation is reproduced in the V-Track with two wavelengths of 6.4 mm and 8.9 mm. Based on the measured wheel-rail contact forces, track dynamic behaviors, and observations, the consistent...