New Findings Concerning the Wear Behavior of Freight Car Bogies.

The wear characteristics of the wheel/rail system are an essential criterion in assessing existing or new bogie designs. Based on test results obtained on roller rigs, a model is developed for estimating the loss of material to be expected at the wheel-rail interface. The wear behavior of the three basic car bogie designs is illustrated by the examples of the Y 25 rigid-axle bogie of the French National Railways, the type 665 steerable-axle bogie of the German Federal Railway (DB), and the cross-anchor bogie of South African Transport Service (SATS). The Y 25 rigid-axle bogie proves to be particularly unfavorable in terms of wheel and rail wear. There is little difference between DB's steerable-axle bogie 665 and the SATS cross-anchor bogie. On the whole, the cross-anchor bogie shows better performance with regard to the amount of material loss due to wear and the loss of material as a function of the wheel profile.