Study on the adhesion behavior of wheel/rail under oil, water and sanding conditions

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the adhesion behavior of wheel/rail under oil, water and sanding conditions using a JD-1 wheel/rail simulation facility, which consists of a small wheel roller serving as locomotive or rolling stock wheel and a large wheel roller serving as rail. The results indicate that the adhesion coefficient of wheel/rail decreases remarkably under oil condition compared with dry and water conditions. With an increasing speed, the adhesion coefficient of wheel/rail decreases under oil, water and sanding conditions. However, with the increase of axle load, the adhesion coefficient of wheel/rail increases under the conditions with mixed oil, water and sand. Sanding can increase adhesion coefficient but damage the wheel/rail surfaces. In addition, the effect of adhesion improving by sanding is better under water condition. The adhesion coefficient is smallest with mixed oil and water.