An experimental study on the effects of friction modifiers on wheel–rail dynamic interactions with various angles of attack

By modifying friction to the desired level, the application of friction modifiers (FMs) has been considered as a promising emerging tool in the railway engineering for increasing braking/traction force in poor adhesion conditions and mitigating wheel/rail interface deterioration, energy consumption, vibration and noise. Understanding the...

Friction modifiers effects on tribological behaviour of bainitic rail steels

Bainitic steels are gaining popularity for application in the railway switches and crossing, thanks to their better rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and wear resistance. The rail degradation caused by RCF and wear could be also reduced by the use of friction modifiers (FM) through their ability to reduce the lateral load during wheel passage....

Low Adhesion in the Wheel-Rail Contact

Adhesion, or adhesion coefficient, is given by the ratio of the longitudinal tangential (i.e., braking or traction) force over the normal force at the wheel-rail contact. The tangential force that a braking or tractive railway wheel can exert on a rail is limited by the friction coefficient available between the surfaces in contact for a given...

Investigating the lubricity and electrical insulation caused by sanding in dry wheel–rail contacts

The adhesion (or available friction) in the wheel–rail contact is the most important parameter for the braking and traction operation of rail vehicles. Since the beginning of railway transportation, sanding from the locomotive has been a common practice to enhance the wheel–rail adhesion. In recent years, sanding from electrical multiple units ...

Rolling–Sliding Laboratory Tests of Friction Modifiers in Leaf Contaminated Wheel–Rail Contacts

Leaf-related adhesion problems have been present in many railway networks all over the world in the last few decades. Since the early 1970s many measures have been undertaken in order to mitigate the problem. One of the measures adopted by many railway networks is the use of friction modifiers. However, the low adhesion problem still persists....