Optimization of abnormal wheel wear in articulated trams with independent wheelset

Urban trams are essential to public transportation, yet abnormal wheel wear poses significant challenges to safety and maintenance. In this study, a five-year field investigation was conducted to track the wheel wear patterns of articulated low-floor trams with independently rotating wheelsets operating in two cities. In City B, the wheelset exhibited relatively uniform wear, with flange wear reaching 0.6 mm after 100,000 km and 2.0 mm after a total of 233,000 km over five years. In contrast, in City A, flange wear reached 4.2 mm after only 101,000 km—a roughly 600 % increase compared to City B—resulting in a significant reduction in flange thickness and burr formation on the flange top, while tread wear remained relatively low at 0.6 mm. Through combined field analysis and simulation, we found that optimizing guard rail parameters could reduce abnormal flange wear by up to 40 %, with flange wear depth decreasing from 0.74 mm to 0.43 mm and tread wear depth reducing from 0.29 mm to 0.19 mm after 5000 km of operation. These findings offer actionable insights for enhancing tram network safety and extending wheel lifespan through effective guard rail design.