Assessment of the influence of train weight and driving mode on the interaction forces in the «wheel-rail» contact zone

The article presents a study to assess the impact of the introduction of heavy-weight traffic on the main forces of interaction arising in the «wheel-rail» contact zone while a freight train is in motion along curved sections of the railway track. Mixed traffic is used on domestic railways, but there are no dedicated specialized lines for the operation of high-speed passenger and freight traffic with increased axle load. In this case, the possibility of the track infrastructure becomes decisive. Improving the operational efficiency, first of all, of track facilities, is impossible without scientifically based methods. The qualitative operation of a track depends on the forces arising from the interaction of the wheel-rail pair. This paper presents a study of the force interaction of the contact zone with an increase in the axle load on one of the sections of the Sverdlovsk railway. Horizontal transverse lateral and longitudinal forces are considered by means of simulation modeling. Since the introduction of heavy-weight traffic is caused by the change in the traction characteristics of a train, the article presents the results of work on the study of influence of the train driving mode on the forces under consideration.