Development of Functional Requirements for Sustainable and Attractive European Rail Freight (FR8RAIL) (RV38)

Project Coordinator - Trafikverket

Project Leader at KTH - Sebastian Stichel

Scientists at KTH - Mats Berg, Carlos Casanueva Perez, Saeed Hossein Nia, Visakh V Krishna

Other Scientists - From 18 European Partners

Sources of Funding - Trafikverket and European Commission (Horizon 2020)

The main aim of the FR8RAIL project is the development of functional requirements for a sustainable and attractive European rail freight. The objectives of FR8RAIL are: A 10% reduction on the cost of freight transport measured by tonnes per km. A 20% reduction in the time variations during dwelling and increase attractiveness of logistic chains by making available 100% of the rail freight transport information to logistic chain information.

KTH was one of the main contributors to a WP4 state-of-the-art report reviewing wagon, running gear, wheelset and brake design of freight wagons and also indicating existing models to predict wheel and track deterioration.

A multibody dynamics (Gensys) model of a newly developed Y25 bogie with double Lenoir links and cross bracing from Tatravagonka was built, simulations were performed, and the running (hunting) stability and curving performance was compared to a standard Y25 bogie and the running gear developed in the SUSTRAIL project. Also, comparisons of wheel and track wear and Rolling Contact Fatigue were performed together with Virtual Vehicle in Graz. The vehicle dynamics simulations and the wheel wear and RCF calculations were performed by KTH. Rail wear and RCF calculations were performed by Virtual Vehicle with input from KTH.

With first measurement data from Tatravagonka the simulation model has been validated. With the validated model more systematic studies on stability, curving behaviour, track friendliness, wear and RCF have been performed. It turns out that the FR8RAIL bogie is much more track friendly than the standard UIC bogie and also more track friendly than the SUSTRAIL bogie.

In parallel together with CAF new models for wear prediction are developed that shall include material parameters. The aim is to be able in the future to make more educated choices of wheel materials with regard to wear behaviour. Today basically only the initial wheel hardness is part of the prediction model.

We also developed a methodology to use dynamic simulation as a virtual twin to predict wheel life of railway vehicles to optimize maintenance actions. In parallel another method is developed to judge track friendliness taking also rail grinding due to rail damages into account. This methodology gives the opportunity to optimize rail grinding as function of the vehicle performance and in this way makes maximum use of track friendly running gear.

V. Krishna, S. Stichel and S. Hossein-Nia. Running behaviour of modified Y25 running gear with double Lenoir link and crossbracing: Wheel damage and stability. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Railway Technology, Barcelona, Spain, September 2018.

V. Krishna, S. Hossein-Nia, C. Casanueva and S. Stichel. FR8RAIL Y25 running gear for high tonnage and speed, Proceedings of the IHHA conference, Narvik, Norway, June 2019.

S. Hossein-Nia and S. Stichel. Multibody simulation as virtual twin to predict the wheel life for Iron-ore locomotive wheels. Proceedings of the IHHA conference, Narvik, Norway, June 2019.

A. Alonso, C. Casanueva, J. Perez and S. Stichel. Modelling of rough wheel-rail contact for physical damage calculations, Wear, vol. 436, 2019.

K. Six, T. Mihalj, G. Trummer, C. Marte, V. Krishna, S. Hossein-Nia and S. Stichel. Assessment of running gear performance in relation to rolling contact fatigue of wheels and rails based on stochastic simulations. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, vol. 234, p. 405-416, 2019. doi.org/10.1177/0954409719879600

Y. Li, Z. Ren, R. Enblom and S. Stichel. Wheel wear prediction on a high-speed train in China, Vehicle System Dynamics, online August 2019.