A tribological characterization of the “damage mechanism” of low rail corrugation on sharp curved track

This paper focuses on the “damage mechanism” of short pitch corrugation on low rail on sharp curved track. This remains a major problem for European mass transit authorities. Several tribological and metallurgical investigations are performed on samples of corrugated low rail taken from a sharp curved track at site 1. A similar corrugated track from site 2 is instrumented to observe the vertical and transversal forces and the displacements of the rail. A parallel is then drawn between the measurements and real corrugation geometry. As both sites are affected by corrugation with the same morphological characteristics, a parallel is also drawn between tribological and metallurgical investigations and on-site measurements. The results highlight the existence of a rapid inversion in the lateral displacement of the railhead. This inversion only occurs with the leading wheelset and is localized at the beginning of the trough, where lateral third body flow fronts and lateral particle detachments on the rail surface are observed. The results of these investigations into the “damage mechanism” of corrugation on low rail at sharp curved track are discussed.