Wear and plastic deformation of the wheel tread at block braking Results from brake rig experiments and simulations

In the present work, results from a series of full-scale tread braking experiments that include a wheel–railwheel rolling contact, are compared to the results from FE simulations with focus on tread plasticity and wear. Brake rig tests have been performed  to reveal tread plasticity and tread wear in the form of sequences of constant temperature rolling at 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C, all for a wheel–railwheel contact load of 60 kN. The evolution of the tread profile is measured during the experiments and is compared to estimations from the FE simulations and wear calculations. Finally, calculated tread wear introduced by braking and specific influence from rolling contact plasticity on the tread profile evolution are estimated and compared to the measured wear.