Frictional Heating in Railway Brakes: A Review of Numerical Models

In the design process of a railway vehicle it is crucial to determine the operating temperature of the brake friction elements. The thermal load related to braking depends on both the design of the vehicle and its braking system but also on the operating conditions in service. It is therefore justified to model frictional heating of the friction elements in the design phase. As railway braking differs substantially from automotive or aircraft braking, current review article is focused on the published literature concerning specifically modelling of railway tread and disc brakes. However, to present the complete picture of the state-of-the-art, studies undertaking related topics concerning frictional heating are also discussed. It is concluded that the existing models should be further developed to account for mutual coupling of operation conditions and the coefficient of friction.