Local coating of curved rails by using low friction material for squeal noise reduction

Curve squeal noise is one of the most prominent noises among railway noises. High levels of noise are generated when a train passes through curved sections, resulting in several complaints from the residents and vehicle passengers. To mitigate this problem, the squeal noise was attempted to be mitigated by laser cladding the composite material on the head of the rail. First, the effect of the negative gradient of the coefficient of friction on the squeal noise was theoretically examined. A simple model analysis indicated that the vibration of the wheel increased rapidly when the vibration system involved instability characteristics. In addition, the change in the friction coefficient owing to the local coating of the rail with a low friction material was investigated using a roller rig test equipment. The results demonstrated that the negative friction coefficient did not occur when the contact position between the wheel and rail was locally coated. Furthermore, the effect of the low friction local coating on the squeal noise in the curve section was examined in operational rails. The comparison of the results obtained before and after the local coating confirmed that the local coating of the rail can effectively reduce the squeal noise.