Study on the Effect of Track Curve Radius on Friction-Induced Oscillation of a Wheelset-Track System

The purpose of this article is to investigate the correlation between the friction-induced oscillation of a wheelset-track system and curve radius and to explain a general phenomenon of rail corrugation based on the viewpoint of friction-induced oscillation. The typical phenomenon of rail corrugation in metros is that corrugation generally arises when the curve radius is quite small, whereas it rarely occurs when the curve radius is larger or on a straight track. Different multibody models of the vehicle-track system and finite-element models of the multiple-wheelset-track system with different curve radii are established, respectively. According to the creep force analyses and unstable vibration analyses, the correlation between the creep force and friction-induced oscillation can be identified. Then the effect of the track curve radius on the friction-induced oscillation of the wheelset-track system can be summarized, which provides an explanation of the typical phenomenon of corrugation.