Analysis of freight cars wheels wear based on mathematical modeling of the dynamics of their movement

The work is dedicated to identifying the causes and making recommendations to reduce the intensive wear of the wheelset flanges in operation. A mathematical simulation of the movement of a freight car with the definition of the trajectories of all its elements and the existing forces has carried out. A laden four-axle gondola with nominal parameters of carriages and not worn wheel profiles was taken as an object. The friction forces developed at the contact points of the wheels and rails were taken as the criterion determining the wheel wear. According to the simulation results, the analysis of the intensity of wear of wheelset flanges was carried out depending on the change in the gauge, the broadening of the gauge in the curves and the elevation of the outer rail. It is established the rationalization of the size of the gaps between the wheelset flanges and rails, broadening the elevation of the outer rails in the curves reduces the flange wear by 3-4 times.