Research on multi-wavelength phenomenon of rail corrugation on trapezoidal sleepers

WANG Hu; ZHAO Caiyou; ZHAO Yannan; SHI Rui; WANG Ping

doi:10.11860/j.issn.1673-0291.20240004

Abstract：In the inner rail of a trapezoidal sleeper track with a 400-meter radius curve,an alternating multi-wavelength rail corrugation phenomenon occurs between the middle and end of the sleepers.To investigate this issue from the perspective of wheel-rail contact resonance,a three-dimensional transient rolling contact model of the trapezoidal sleeper track is established based on the track struc-ture.This model reveals the relationship between the natural frequencies of the wheel-rail elastic contact system and the passing frequencies of rail corrugation,as well as the resonance characteris-tics of the wheel-rail system.The wear behavior within the first cycle of rail corrugation contact patches under excitation by different corrugation wavelengths is analyzed.The results indicate that as wheelsets pass different positions along the trapezoidal track,distinct modes of the track system are excited.The resonance-involved modes differ,causing multi-wavelength corrugations on the rail surfaces at both the sleeper ends and the sleeper centers.Significant resonance occurs at vibration fre-quencies of 136.7 Hz and 248.7 Hz.At 248.7 Hz,the wheel induces rail bending vibration and sleeper corner warping modes via the sleeper ends;at 136.7 Hz,coordinated bending vibrations of the rail and sleeper are excited through the sleeper center.As the wheel traverses the corrugation ex-citation zone,the wear region expands progressively from the leading to the trailing edge of the con-tact patch.By the first cycle's corrugation peak,the wear covers the entire contact area.Notably,wear severity at the troughs exceeds that at the peaks,providing a microscopic description of wear variation within the wheel-rail contact region.The resonance of the wheel-rail system induces rail corrugation generation,which in turn intensifies wheel-rail unstable vibrations,thereby accelerating corrugation development.