Effect of dynamic windblown sand environments on the wear and damage of wheel-rail under different slip ratios

Although the railways in windblown sand areas has been continuously developed in recent years, the effect of dynamic windblown sand environment on the wear and damage of wheel-rail under different slip ratios is still unclear. This work focused on the effect of Gobi and desert dynamic windblown sand environments on the wear and damage behaviors of wheel-rail under different slip ratios using a twin-disc rolling contact fatigue machine. The corresponding experiments in dry condition (without wind and sand) were also performed for comparison. The results indicated that in these three conditions (Gobi, desert and dry), their trends of adhesion coefficient with slip ratio were not exactly the same. The wear rate of wheel and rail in these three conditions could be ranked as: dry > desert > Gobi. As the slip ratio increased, the fatigue wear of wheel and rail gradually aggravated. Furthermore, the oxidative wear of wheel also gradually exacerbated, especially in Gobi dynamic windblown sand environment. Based on the results of experiments and finite element simulations, the interaction mechanism between sand and wheel-rail interface was proposed and the reasons for wear reduction in dynamic windblown sand environments were summarized.