Wheel-rail resistance and energy consumption analysis of cars on tangent track with different lubrication strategies

This paper presents an analytical solution to determine wheel-rail resistance and energy consumption on tangent track. It analyzes three different lubrication strategies: flange lubrication, top of rail (TOR) lubrication and TOR plus flange lubrication. Analysis of a single wheelset based on force balance, slip balance and wheelset integrity, is used to determine its resistance and energy consumption. The whole train is then analyzed using a statistical field measured distribution of the angle of attack of various wheelsets of a train represented by a Gauss distribution. Analysis of the three lubrication strategies indicates that TOR lubrication provides much higher energy saving than flange lubrication alone while TOR plus flange lubrication provides the most benefit. Furthermore, TOR lubrication reduces the lateral forces on the rail (derailment forces) dramatically while flange lubrication does not affect them at all. As a result, TOR lubrication can reduce track maintenance and wheel replacement costs dramatically and offer an excellent value