An experimental evaluation of the effect of rail vehicles truck suspensions on wheel-rail forces

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of truck (or bogie) suspensions on the vertical and lateral forces that are generated at the wheel-rail interface. Two different three-piece, two-axle trucks, similar to those that are commonly used in freight cars in the US, are considered for this study. One truck contained a standard suspension that had been in service a few years, the other track was equipped with an improved suspension. The results of a series of tests that had been conducted at the Heavy Tonnage Loop (HTL) of the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, Colorado were analyzed to evaluate the effect of the two suspensions on the forces at the wheel-rail interface. The results indicate that the lateral loads are lower for the improved suspension, as compared to the standard suspension, for curved tracks.