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A design method for rail profiles based on the distribution of contact points

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Abstract

Profile optimization design is the most obvious and simple method to reduce rail wear and improve rail life. Existing mainstream ideas determine the new rail profile in reverse by specifying the contact relationship in advance. To solve the problems encountered when setting the rolling circle radius as the objective, an inverse design method with the contact point distribution as the rail profile optimization objective is proposed in this paper. The aim is to achieve as continuous and uniform contact point distribution on the rail as possible. The whole design process is implemented in MATLAB with a multipoint approximate optimization method. The application of this method to two design examples proves its effectiveness and efficiency. The optimized rail profile contact point distribution is uniform and reasonable, and the multipoint contact of the original profile is eliminated. The dynamic performance of a car body in an actual operating scenario is optimized. At the same time, the wear of the rail and wheel is significantly reduced, and the service life is extended. The developed rail optimization program has been applied to an actual line.

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Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52078035, 52178406, and 62132003).

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Correspondence to Jin Shi.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The numerical data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article. However, due to the particularity of the industry, some test data are not given. Since comprehensive implementation details have been provided, we decided not to publish the code.

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Responsible Editor: Hongyi Xu

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Liu, X., Shi, J. & Wang, Y. A design method for rail profiles based on the distribution of contact points. Struct Multidisc Optim 66, 226 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-023-03677-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-023-03677-8

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