Braking events in railway traffic often induce high frictional heating and thermoelastic instability (TEI) at the interfacing surfaces. In the present paper, two approaches are adopted to analyse the thermomechanical interaction in a pin-on-disc experimental study of railway braking materials. In a first part, the thermal problem is studied to find the heat partitioning between pin and disc motivated by the fact that wear mechanisms can be explained with a better understanding of the prevailing thermal conditions. The numerical model is calibrated using the experimental results. In a second part, the frictionally induced thermoelastic instabilities at the pin-disc contact are studied using a numerical method and comparing them with the phenomena observed in the experiments. The effects of temperature on material properties and on material wear are considered. It is found from the thermal analysis that the pin temperature and the heat flux to the pin increase with increasing disc temperatures up to a transition stage. This agrees with the behaviour found in the experiments. Furthermore, the thermoelastic analysis displays calculated pressure and the temperature distributions at the contact interface that are in agreement with the hot spot behaviour observed in the experiments. KEYWORDSRailway tread braking, frictional heating, heat partitioning, thermoelastic instability (TEI), hot spots, pin-on-disc test, numerical analysis.

The temperature rise of wheels and blocks due to frictional heating during railway tread braking along with the transfer of heat through the wheel-rail contact is studied in this paper. In particular, heat partitioning between block, wheel and rail for stop braking cycles is considered. The wheels are of interest because they are a limiting factor for railway tread braking systems. Two types of thermal models are employed to investigate the maximum temperatures over the wheel tread. In a circumferential (plane) model of wheel, block and rail, the heat transfer problem is studied by use of a finite element formulation of the two-dimensional time-dependent convection-diffusion equation. The hot spot phenomenon is simulated by introducing a prescribed wheel-fixed contact pressure distribution between wheel and block. In an axisymmetric (axial) model of wheel, block and rail, the lateral movements of the wheel-rail contact are studied. A general result is that the cooling effect provided by the rail is important when local temperatures on the tread are considered, but not when studying bulk temperatures created in a single stop braking event. Furthermore, it is found from the lateral movements of the wheel-rail contact that slow oscillations result in maximum temperatures over the wheel tread that are somewhat lower than for travelling on straight track (rolling at the rolling circle).

Tread brakes are still a common frictional braking system used on metro and suburban trains. Here the wheels are safety-related components and there is a need to develop design specifications and guidelines to ensure that the wheels perform properly under the service conditions to which they are exposed. In the present paper, a model is proposed and developed that represents typical conditions in metro and suburban operations, in particular during sequential stop braking. The analysis also considers drag braking, mechanical loading, residual stresses and wheel–axle interference fit. Finite element modelling, with an advanced temperature-dependent material model, together with a fatigue analysis is employed to quantify the wheel’s performance. An application example demonstrates the method for a typical metro wheel. In a companion paper, further applications are presented that demonstrate important aspects of the thermal capacity of tread-braked railway wheels.

Tread braking is a common friction-based braking system that finds use on metro and suburban trains. Here the wheels are safety-related components and there is a need to develop design specifications and guidelines to ensure that the wheels perform properly under the service conditions to which they are exposed. In the present paper, examples of applications are given that employ a modelling framework that was developed in a companion paper. The examples represent typical conditions in metro and suburban operations, in particular during sequential stop braking. Also results for drag braking, mechanical loading, residual stresses and wheel–axle interference fit are given. Parametric studies are performed to demonstrate the influence of load levels and other factors on the fatigue life of the wheels. The results should be useful for establishing design rules that consider the thermal capacity of tread-braked railway wheels.

Tread braking of railway wheels results in the kinetic energy of the train being dissipated into the wheel and blocks in the form of heat. This heat is further conducted into adjacent structures, notably the cold rail, and also transferred into the surroundings by convection and radiation. Heat partitioning between wheel and block is, for short time periods, controlled by local thermal interactions at the contact point and by the conductive properties of the bodies. However, for a metro train that performs longer periods of intermittent braking (or for drag braking) convective and radiation cooling properties of the components come into play. In the present study, results from brake rig tests and from in-field testing of a metro train are presented and used to calibrate a simulation model. It is found that the cooling level of the wheels of the metro train is substantially lower than for the wheels of a freight wagon. Moreover, it is found that the first axle on the metro train is exposed to higher cooling levels than the remaining axles. In a numerical example, temperatures of tread braked wheels are calculated using the new findings for a metro train, and the results obtained are compared with wheel temperatures as calculated assuming freight wagon conditions.