Wheel-rail impact dynamics is a critical area of study in railway engineering, especially concerning the interaction between the wheel and rail during train operations. The dynamic behavior of wheel-rail interactions can significantly affect the performance, safety, and longevity of rail systems. One of the most prominent issues in this area is the phenomenon of wheel flats. Wheel flats occur when a section of the wheel surface becomes flattened due to prolonged sliding or braking events. These flats lead to increased impact forces between the wheel and rail, causing undesirable effects such as noise, vibration, and accelerated wear. Understanding and modeling wheel-flat interactions are vital for improving the design and maintenance of rail systems. A parameter-driven methodology for wheel flat modeling offers a promising approach to accurately simulate and analyze the impact dynamics between wheels and rails. The presence of wheel flats creates localized contact points between the wheel and the rail, which disrupts the otherwise smooth rolling contact. This disturbance causes periodic impacts, and the magnitude of these impacts is influenced by various factors, such as the size and shape of the wheel flat, the speed of the train, and the material properties of the wheel and rail. The interactions between the wheel and the rail under impact conditions are highly dynamic, making them difficult to model accurately.
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