Wayside lubricator placement model for heavy haul lines in Australia

Lubrication is applied to the high rail gauge corner to reduce rail/wheel wear, energy consumption and to control noise. For effective lubrication; high technology equipment, proper track placement, effective positioning of the lubricator bars based on height below the top of the rail, optimal settings of grease dispensing rate, minimal wastage of grease, better quality grease with desired properties for traffic and the temperatures during the year are essential considerations. Wayside lubricator placement gudelines have been developed in different rail networks in the last decades. Most of them depend on certain assumptions and the research on Australian heavy haul lines is limited. The work discussed in this paper considers the effectiveness of the lubrication equipment, the length of lubricator bars, the bar location of lubricators in tangent track and the spirals of curved track and the different grease that can be used. Field trails have been carried out and data has been collected for the implementation of a base line model called Lubricator placement Model for the Australian heavy haul industry.