Friction control between wheel and rail by means of on-board lubrication

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the friction control between wheel and rail can solve wheel/rail contact problems, such as wheel-slipping, rail corrugation, squeak noises, wheel/rail wear and so on. Firstly, fundamental tests with two-roller-rigs were carried out to evaluate the friction performances of several types of friction modifiers. Then, for the purpose of realizing the friction control with them, authors developed an on-board system, which sprayed friction modifier from a bogie to the top of rail accurately. This method is very advantageous to control friction between wheel and rail. As a result of track tests, it was found that one type of friction modifier, which had proper coefficient of friction (COF) and positive creep characteristics, was very effective to reduce the lateral force and the squeak noises. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.