Introduction of Rail Cleaning Effect into Locomotive Traction Study Based on Tribometer Measurements

A special methodology for the delivery of the change of friction coefficients has been developed. The results obtained with the proposed methodology are analyzed using the processing of raw data stored by the hand-operated tribometer. The analysis requires making some assumptions for the generation of input parameters for wheel-rail contact. One such assumption was achieved by the introduction of a function that allows to progressively increase friction coefficient for each successive wheel down the length of the locomotive. To understand locomotive behavior under this change of friction coefficients, the locomotive multibody model of a high adhesion locomotive has been developed in the Gensys multibody software. The results obtained show changes in the dynamic behavior of the locomotive and indicate the influence of this on locomotive dynamic performance. This study also shows that the further development of the proposed methodology might introduce some benefits for further advancement of wheel-rail damage theories for contaminated rails.