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Reliability and fatigue life evaluation of railway axles

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Abstract

The axle is one of the most important components of a rail vehicle which transmits the weight of the vehicle to the wheels, meets the vertical and horizontal loads formed during static and dynamic moving, and carries the driving moment and braking moment. The prediction of fatigue failure of axles plays an important role in preventing fatigue fractures. Varying loads on components lead to cumulative failure in the mechanism. In this study, failures in axles of rail vehicles serving the Istanbul Transportation Co. have been investigated. Statistical evaluation of real life values has been performed by taking into account the kilometer and load cycle. Equivalent stresses have been used to derive life equations and diagrams by using one of the cumulative life theories known as the Palmgren-Miner method. Finally, theoretical and practical Wohler diagrams S-N (σ-N: stress-life) have been plotted to reveal error calculation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, 34349, Turkey

    Meral Bayraktar, Necati Tahrali & Rahmi Guclu

Authors
  1. Meral Bayraktar
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  2. Necati Tahrali
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  3. Rahmi Guclu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meral Bayraktar.

Additional information

This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Jooho Choi

Meral Bayraktar has been working at Yildiz Technical University Mechanical Engineering Department since 2001. She has been studying on machine elements, mechanical vibrations and rail vehicle dynamics.

Necati Tahrali has been working at Yildiz Technical University Mechanical Engineering Department since 1970. His research area is about machine elements, machine dynamics and mechanical vibrations. He studied strength, life and reliability analysis of gear mechanisms at Munih Technic University Gear Mechanism Research Laboratory (Technische Universitaet München-Almanya, Forschungsstelle für Zahnraeder und Getriebebau FZG).

Rahmi Guclu has been working at Yildiz Technical University Mechanical Engineering Department since 1987. His research interests include mechanical vibrations, system dynamics and control, vehicle dynamics, structural vibrations and rail system dynamics.

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Bayraktar, M., Tahrali, N. & Guclu, R. Reliability and fatigue life evaluation of railway axles. J Mech Sci Technol 24, 671–679 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-009-1219-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-009-1219-1

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