The effect of wedge friction conditions on the dynamic wheel-rail contact force on short wavelength defects

For wagons with three-piece bogies, the suspension dynamic characteristics are largely dependent on the friction condition of the wedge dampers. The influence of changes in wedge friction conditions on the dynamic wheel load is investigated. Comprehensive wagon-track modelling has been developed for the analysis. Simulations show that a small friction coefficient on the wedge contact surfaces can lead to the severe resonance of suspension system, causing large dynamic wheel loads and high levels of wheel unloading while with a large friction coefficient, suspension resonance is restricted, leading to smaller dynamic wheel loads.