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International Journal of Railway Technology
ISSN 2049-5358
IJRT, Volume 5, Issue 1, 2016
Contact Performance of an Axle Bearing Assembly under Impact and Vibration Conditions of the Wheel-Flat and Rail-Gap of a Railway Passenger Train
S.Y. Pei1,2,3, H.S. Wang1,2, H. Xi1,2, H.Y. Wang4, W. Chang1, H. Wei2,3, Y. Gao3, K.S. Chen3, S.N. Xu2, H. Xu1,2 and F.C. Wang2,3,5

1iBT Group, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry for Modern Design & Rotor-Bearing System, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
2Institute of Bearing Manufacturing Technology, Shizuishan, China
3School of Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science & Technology, China
4School of Mechanical Engineering, Swansea University, United Kingdom
5Railway & Bearing Technology Institute, United Manufacturing Groups, United Kingdom

Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper
S.Y. Pei, H.S. Wang, H. Xi, H.Y. Wang, W. Chang, H. Wei, Y. Gao, K.S. Chen, S.N. Xu, H. Xu, F.C. Wang, "Contact Performance of an Axle Bearing Assembly under Impact and Vibration Conditions of the Wheel-Flat and Rail-Gap of a Railway Passenger Train", International Journal of Railway Technology, 5(1), 53-81, 2016. doi:10.4203/ijrt.5.1.3
Keywords: axle bearing assembly, double-row tapered roller bearings, wheel-flat, rail-gap, beam-spring-mass vibration, vibration mode, finite element model (FEM), contact, lubrication, railway passenger train.

Abstract
An impact model for the evaluation of dynamic impact loading of the wheel-flat against the rail track, or the wheel against the rail-gap under the given operating condition was developed with the finite element method. Subsequently, a beam-spring-mass vibration model of vehicle, axle bearing assembly, and wheel shaft, as well as rail-formation under the evaluated impact loading and motion, was developed, while the corresponding stiffness coefficients of the vibration system were obtained by a group of finite element models. Additionally, the simplified vibration model of the whole vehicle and wheel/rail system, under impact loading conditions, was applied to simulate the dynamic loading conditions of axle bearing assembly, in order to study the contact and lubrication of the axle bearing assembly under dynamic impact loading conditions. The first four vibration modes of the vehicle and wheel/rail system, as well as the dynamic loading response of the axle bearing assembly under excitation conditions, were presented. A developed multi-interfacial contact mechanics model of the axle bearing assembly with double-row tapered roller bearings was employed to investigate contact loading and internal stress distribution of the axle bearing assembly under dynamic impact vibration conditions, while the corresponding lubrication performance was also evaluated by a general grease lubrication model. It was found that the imperfection of wheel-flat or rail-gap could cause significant dynamic impact loading and lead to an increase of contact stress and deformation, as well as a decrease in the film thickness of the axle bearing assembly under the given operating conditions.

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