ASSESSMENT OF ACCEPTABILITY TO PUT INTO OPERATION RAILWAY WHEELS WITH A REDUCED DIAMETER

This paper discusses the issues of operating all-rolled railway wheels of electric locomotives with a reduced rim diameter. Railway wheels play a key role in ensuring the reliability and safety of train operation, which makes it necessary to assess them for static and fatigue strength. A procedure is developed to analyze the possibility of using wheels with a reduced diameter. The technique includes the study of technical documentation, load analysis, simulation of operating conditions, assessment of static strength and fatigue resistance, as well as conducting bench and field tests. The wheel load in operation is analyzed, and the maximum loads occurring in the contact zone with the rail are found out. To study the stress-strain state, finite element modeling was used in SolidWorks environment. The calculation results show that the minimum static strength reserve coefficient for a wheel with a diameter of 1135 mm is 1.56, and the minimum fatigue strength reserve coefficient is 1.302. Based on the research, it is concluded that the wheels can be operated safely up to a diameter of 1142 mm. Additional tests may make it possible to reduce the maximum diameter to 1135 mm if the reliability conditions are met.