Wheel wear dynamics in sharp curves: Insights from T-gamma indicator study on heavy-haul railways

The dynamic interaction between railway wheels and rails is critical for ensuring maintenance and safety in railway operations. Accurate assessment of wheel wear is essential, particularly in sharp curves where wear is more pronounced. This study focuses on using the T-gamma (Tγ) indicator to quantify wheel wear in sharp curves. Despite its usefulness, Tγ alone does not fully capture the complexities of material removal and contact dynamics, making it insufficient as a sole index for optimizing wheel profiles. This research evaluates a meter gauge heavy haul vehicle from a Brazilian railway. Comprehensive multibody simulations were conducted on various sharp curves to investigate the relationship between Tγ, the maximum penetration under varying speeds, and the non-compensated lateral accelerations (Anc). The findings indicate that using the total Tγ, which includes both the Tγ values from the tread and the flange, is more effective for analyzing wear depth than examining the Tγ values individually for the tread and flange. The results also show the high influence of Anc on flange wear depth. Besides, a strong relationship between tread wear depth and Anc was found, except for very sharp and very wide curves, which showed to have low influence of Anc. By focusing on sharp curves, the study aims to deepen the understanding of wheel-rail wear dynamics in such challenging conditions and to provide valuable insights for improving maintenance strategies.