Research on the influence of time-varying wear of wheel-rail profile on vehicle dynamic response

Employing a combination of field measurements and numerical simulations, this study initially evaluates the impact of simplifying wheel-rail profile wear on the calculation results of vehicle performance indicators. Subsequently, it investigates the influence of time-varying wear of wheel-rail profiles on the vehicle's dynamic response, along with an analysis of change law in wheel wear depth and range under different wheel-rail profiles. The finding indicates that simplifying wheel-rail profile wear notably affect the accuracy of predicting wheel wear, with potential maximum prediction errors of up to 84 % compared to actual conditions. Furthermore, changes in the wheel-rail profile resulting from wear significantly impact the vehicle's straight-line running performance and curve negotiation performance, particularly in the early and later stages of wheel-rail wear. Moreover, profiles in the mid-term wear stage significantly exacerbates wheel wear depth, demonstrating a maximum increase 4.33 times higher than that of the standard profile.