Stress-strain analysis for the wheel-railtrack assembly at urban passenger transport

The analysis of the stress-strain state which occurs in the wheel-railtrack assembly of the common mean of urban passenger transportation (tram) represents an issue of high interest due to the fact that the mentioned assembly is subjected to high level of wear resulting in high costs for maintenance and operation at optimum parameters. The high level of wear represents an important source of vibrations. Vibration transmission through the railtrack infrastructure to the surrounding buildings and thus sound pollution represents the main weakness of this mean of transportation. This paper presents an analysis of the stress-strain state that occurs in the wheel-railtrack assembly, the study being conceived upon a FEA (Finite Element Analysis) calculus model. The FEA calculus model was then subjected to confirmation with strain gauge measurements on the railtrack in connection with various run speed values of the tram.