Analytical modeling of grinding process in rail profile correction considering grinding pattern

An analytical introduction to rail grinding was presented in this paper where a newly-designed profile serves as the targeted ground profile to extend the rail's service life. A method for determining eliminated metal due to rail grinding is established as an initial consideration in the process of rail profile correction. The analytical model of material removal contains grinding wheel characteristics such as rotation speed, feeding speed, and applied pressure to the ground rail. The assumed coefficient in this model was fitted by a scratch test between a single abrasive grain and rail specimen. The sectional area s of removed metal can be used to estimate grinding capacity rather than the traditional grinding depth. An algorithm that generates personalized grinding patterns is proposed to arrange grinding wheel location and proper sequence. The whole procedure was indirectly validated in terms of grinding quality and rail profile error through rail grinding field data. A grinding pattern was generated by the proposed method that can effectively simulate the ground rail profile within a pre-determined tolerance. The area difference of predicted and target profiles was 13 mm2 (6.6%) and the experimental result was 12.2 mm2 at rail cross-section.