RTRI REPORT Feb. 2005
PAPERS

Demonstration of Fundamental Mechanism of Rail Corrugation

Katsushi MANABE


  Rail corrugation shows diversified wavelengths depending on various conditions such as train velocity, track curvature, vibrating characteristics of rail and so on. The author already presented a hypothesis to explain the wavelength of corrugation that showed qualitative agreement with some observed corrugations. The hypothesis insists that the corrugation occurs fundamentally at the wavelengths equal to unit fractions of wheel base as a result of the interference of waves excited by two wheels. The vertical acceleration of axle box is analyzed in order to investigate the wavelengths of corrugation in various track sections. It is found that a few wavelength ranges of corrugation exist in one section; several wavelengths are included in a range and the representative wavelength of the range is nearly proportional to train velocity. The results show the wavelength fixing mechanism is the interference of waves as already proposed.


* Full papers of RTRI Report are written in Japanese.

Copyright (c) 2005 Railway Technical Research Institute