Preliminary results on dynamic analysis of a new test rig for wheel-rail contact studies

A new reduced–scale test rig is developed owing to significantly contribute to the applicability of the laboratory tests on rolling contact fatigue (RCF) in wheel-rail material. This paper introduces the dynamic analysis of the test rig, in order to assess the vibration behaviour of the system with respect to contact phenomenon. Finite element modelling (FEM) is used to simulate the mechanical behaviour of the test rig, representing dynamic response of the components under wheel impact loading conditions. To study the influence of scaling on the new rig, and to understand the functional relationships between the mechanical parameters, two tentative scales i.e. 1/5 and 1/7 are defined as global scale factors of the rig. FE models of the scaled test rig together with a model of actual-size railway system are analysed and their dynamic characteristics are compared. Based on results of dynamic simulations, a strong evidence of association between the chosen scale factors and dominant frequencies of vibrations was found. The major dynamic parameters of the new test rig are lastly derived based on the numerical investigations.