An investigation to the influence of bogie direction reversal on equalizing rail vehicle wheel wear

Railway wheels are subject to high hydrostatic pressure and tangential stresses resulting in plastic deformation and wear. The present study focuses on the initial shakedown, i.e., running-in, period of wheel material and on a procedure of bogie direction reversal. This paper aims to show the importance of two domains of moving a wheelset, which are contact mechanics and operational aspect in the wear rate and wear pattern. The authors present the field test results highlighting the significance of changing the direction of the coach on the reduction of wheel wear resulting in a symmetric wear pattern.