Service Wheel Temperatures and Car Condition in Relation to Thermal Mechanical Shelling

Author(s):  
Scott M. Cummings

The Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) examined data from a wayside wheel temperature detector (WTD) located near the bottom of a grade in order to explore the root causes of hot wheels and thermal mechanical shelling. Not surprisingly, the data showed that most hot wheels, defined in this paper as a wayside WTD reading of 260°C (500°F) or greater, are found in trains descending the grade (descending trains), although they can be found in trains ascending the grade (ascending trains) as well. The majority of cars with hot wheels in ascending trains have the brakes applied at all wheel locations in the car, with unreleased or partially released hand brakes as a possible cause. While relatively few descending trains (15 out of 393) had many cars with hot wheels, these trains accounted for more than 20 percent of the descending cars with hot wheels, indicating that operational improvements could substantially reduce the quantity of hot wheels. Seventy-six percent of the descending cars with hot wheels had only a single wheel at or above 260°C (500°F). While the wheels in these cars are generally at higher temperatures than the wheels of other cars in the train, there were large temperature differences between individual wheel locations. Evidence of repeated hot wheel behavior was found in about 37 percent of the group of descending cars with hot wheels and about 20 percent of individual hot wheel locations. Two different car inspections were conducted based on the WTD data. First, a “near-real-time” inspection was conducted in which cars were quickly checked for obvious problems without removing them from the train. Next, an intensive inspection/test/teardown was conducted on bad actor cars, which showed repeated hot wheel behavior. Good actor cars, which repeatedly did not show hot wheels, were also present at the inspection/test/teardown for comparison. The cause of the hot wheels was not evident for the majority of cars at both inspections, however, bad actor cars were found to have twice the historical wheelset replacement rate of good actor cars.

Author(s):  
Scott Cummings

The Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) has conducted a review and analysis of existing literature and existing data related to brake shoe force (BSF) variation in freight car brake rigging. This work was conducted to explore the sources of BSF variation, define the expected amount of BSF variation, and describe some of the existing brake system designs that may help reduce the amount of BSF variation. Wheel temperature is related to BSF due to the use of the wheel tread as a brake drum. Variation in BSF within a given railcar is one potential source of elevated wheel temperatures and thermal mechanical shelling (TMS) damage to the wheels. At elevated temperatures, wheels become less resistant to fatigue damage due to changes in the material mechanical properties and relief of beneficial residual stresses. Data recorded by a wayside wheel temperature detector shows that eliminating wheel temperature differences within individual cars could reduce the number of wheels reaching temperatures of concern for TMS by a factor of eight.


Author(s):  
Scott Cummings ◽  
Tom McCabe ◽  
Glenn Guelde ◽  
Dan Gosselin

A series of dynamometer tests were conducted by the Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) to quantify the amount of expected variation in brake shoe coefficient of friction (COF) and resulting wheel temperature throughout the life of an individual brake shoe. Variations in brake shoe COF within an individual railcar are one potential source of elevated wheel temperatures and thermal mechanical shelling (TMS) damage to the wheels. High friction composition and tread conditioning brake shoes were installed in the “as manufactured” condition with no wear-in or machining at the beginning of the test matrix which consisted of seventeen stop tests and twelve grade tests. For each brake shoe tested, the average COF and maximum wheel temperature were recorded during eleven identical light grade tests interspersed throughout the test matrix.


Author(s):  
Scott M. Cummings ◽  
Cameron P. Lonsdale

As a means of determining the conditions under which a patch of martensite (and eventually a spall) is formed on a wheel tread, the Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) has conducted a review of wheel slide test reports and analytical models for the prediction of contact patch temperature due to wheel slide. The relative merits of the analytical models are discussed and applied to the known/assumed conditions, i.e., speed, axle load, and wheel/rail coefficients of friction (COF) for each of the wheel slide tests. The accuracy of the analytical models is evaluated with respect to test data under a variety of conditions from multiple sources. After selecting the most appropriate analytical model, wheel slide temperature predictions are given for empty cars at a variety of speeds and wheel/rail COF levels. It is concluded that the potential exists to create martensite on sliding wheels with almost any realistic combination of axle load, wheel slide duration, train speed, and wheel/rail adhesion level. Additionally, sources of wheel spalling are discussed with a focus on misapplied hand brakes and malfunctioning air brake systems. Multiple authors noted the presence of tread damage on one wheel of a wheelset with no damage at the corresponding circumferential location of the mate wheel. The accompanying theories to explain this seemingly counterintuitive finding are restated in this literature review. At the end of the paper, the actions of the WDPRC to reduce wheel spalling are briefly outlined.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Wang ◽  
Jingkai Wei ◽  
Caixia Guo ◽  
Tao Ma ◽  
Linqing Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: At present, the main problems of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) temperature detector focus on the narrow range of temperature detection, difficulty of the high temperature measurement. Besides, MEMS devices have different response characteristics for various surrounding temperature in the petrochemical and metallurgy application fields with high-temperature and harsh conditions. To evaluate the performance stability of the hightemperature MEMS devices, the real-time temperature measurement is necessary. Objective: A schottky temperature detector based on the metal/n-ZnO/n-Si structures is designed to measure high temperature (523~873K) for the high-temperature MEMS devices with large temperature range. Method: By using the finite element method (FEM), three different work function metals (Cu, Ni and Pt) contact with the n-ZnO are investigated to realize Schottky. At room temperature (298K) and high temperature (523~873K), the current densities with various bias voltages (J-V) are studied. Results: The simulation results show that the high temperature response power consumption of three schottky detectors of Cu, Ni and Pt decreases successively, which are 1.16 mW, 63.63 μW and 0.14 μW. The response temperature sensitivities of 6.35 μA/K, 0.78 μA/K, and 2.29 nA/K are achieved. Conclusion: The Cu/n-ZnO/n-Si schottky structure could be used as a high temperature detector (523~873K) for the hightemperature MEMS devices. It has a large temperature range (350K) and a high response sensitivity is 6.35 μA/K. Compared with traditional devices, the Cu/n-ZnO/n-Si Schottky structure based temperature detector has a low energy consumption of 1.16 mW, which has potential applications in the high-temperature measurement of the MEMS devices.


Author(s):  
Scott M. Cummings ◽  
Don Lauro

Inspections of 163 wheelsets conducted by the Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) have produced critical information in identifying the high-level root causes of tread damage. While the overall wheel tread damage problem appears to be split fairly evenly between shelling and spalling, the type of tread damage on a wheelset is strongly linked to the type of car from which it was removed. Coal car wheels, which generally run in heavy axle load, high-mileage service with minimal yard handling, are almost exclusively subject to shelling damage with little spalling damage. On the other hand, mixed freight cars, such as tank cars and covered hopper cars, tend to run in lower mileage service with more yard handling, resulting in fewer loading cycles under lighter stress and more frequent use of hand brakes. Not surprisingly then, wheels from these types of cars were observed to have a mix of spalling and shelling damage, with spalling being the predominant damage mechanism. Nearly every high impact wheel (HIW) inspected showed either spalling, shelling, or some combination of the two. As expected, wheel impact load detector (WILD) readings and radial tread run out data were found to be related. Rim thickness deviations and rim lateral face deviations were not found to be important contributors to shelling. The lateral tread location of radial run-out deviations and crack bands could be an important clue in discovering the root cause of shelling. Radial run-out data and crack band location data shows that shelling damage is most prevalent outboard of the tapeline. This is the expected wheel/rail contact position of a wheel in the lead wheelset position of a truck, while riding on the low (inside) rail of a curve. Many of the wheels that were removed for wear causes were found to have noncondemnable shelling and spalling, indicating that tread damage is more prevalent than repair records would indicate.


Author(s):  
Daniel H. Stone ◽  
Scott M. Cummings

The Wheel Defect Prevention Research Consortium (WDPRC) conducted an analysis pertaining to the fatigue cracking of wheel treads by incorporating the effects of residual stresses, temperature, and wheel/rail contact stress. Laboratory fatigue tests were conducted on specimens of wheel tread material under a variety of conditions allowing the analysis to properly account for the residual stresses accumulated in normal operating conditions. Existing literature was used in the analysis in consideration of the effects of contact stress and residual stress relief. This project was performed to define a temperature range in which the life of an AAR Class C wheel is not shortened by premature fatigue and shelling. Wayside wheel thermal detectors are becoming more prevalent on North American railroads as a means of identifying trains, cars, and wheels with braking issues. Yet, from a wheel fatigue perspective, the acceptable maximum operating temperature remains loosely defined for AAR Class C wheels. It was found that residual compressive circumferential stresses play a key role in protecting a wheel tread from fatigue damage. Therefore, temperatures sufficient to relieve residual stresses are a potential problem from a wheel fatigue standpoint. Only the most rigorous braking scenarios can produce expected train average wheel temperatures approaching the level of concern for reduced fatigue life. However, the variation in wheel temperatures within individual cars and between cars can result in temperatures high enough to cause a reduction in wheel fatigue life.


1991 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter P. Lowe ◽  
Roy Clarke

ABSTRACTWe present dynamic structural studies of thin films and their interface with underlying substrates using real-time x-ray diffraction. Using synchrotron light we have observed, in real-time, interface dynamics in semiconductor systems such as GexSi(i−x)/Si. The measurements show that under large temperature changes thin epitaxial layers may behave cooperatively to modify the overall strain profile. Dynamic behavior is exhibited in a series of discontinuities in the perpendicular lattice constant of the overlayer.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1163
Author(s):  
Henning Hanschmann ◽  
Stefan Rödiger ◽  
Toni Kramer ◽  
Katrin Hanschmann ◽  
Michael Steidle ◽  
...  

Background: Laboratory diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis refers to some methods with known limitations. Molecular diagnostics using specific nucleic acid probes may overcome some of these limitations. Methods: We describe the novel reporter fluorescence real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) probe system LoopTag for detection of Borrelia species. Advantages of the LoopTag system include having cheap conventional fluorescence dyes, easy primer design, no restrictions for PCR product lengths, robustness, high sequence specificity, applicability for multiplex real-time PCRs, melting curve analysis (single nucleotide polymorphism analysis) over a large temperature range, high sensitivity, and easy adaptation of conventional PCRs. Results: Using the LoopTag probe system we were able to detect all nine tested European species belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) complex and differentiated them from relapsing fever Borrelia species. As few as 10 copies of Borrelia in one PCR reaction were detectable. Conclusion: We established a novel multiplex probe real-time PCR system, designated LoopTag, that is simple, robust, and incorporates melting curve analysis for the detection and in the differentiation of European species belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. complex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Mambou Ngueyep Luc Leroy ◽  
Foguieng Wembe Marius ◽  
Ngapgue François

This review paper aims to survey and discuss recent theoretical and experimental works reporting the temperature effects on the mechanical properties of rocks like granite, gabbro, gneiss, marble, sandstone, basalt, limestone, and argillite to permit the new challenge in this domain. The effect of high temperatures on various mechanical and physical material properties (Young’s modulus, porosity, tensile and compressive strengths, P-wave velocity, permeability, thermal damage, and expansion) is analyzed. This work shows that hard rock mechanical and physical properties evolutions are strongly related to the evolution of the microstructure caused by the geological history, cracks nucleation occurrences, recrystallization, dehydroxylation, and dehydration reactions. However, it should be emphasized that these studies were not conducted on all types of intrusions and all rocks types. Meanwhile, it has been noticed that variations in temperature could lead to contradictory phenomena. Therefore, different trends were observed for the evolution of physical properties of rocks. There is an increase in porosity approximately 80% above 500°C. In general, for volcanic’s rock, the loss mass and thermal conductivity were drastically observed at low temperatures around 200°C with an antinomic phenomenon. Sandstone, granite, and argillite present the model whose behaviors with thermal load are too much explored accordingly with experiments compared with other rocks. Argillite at 200°C and sandstone and granite at 400°C undergo seriously damage. There is 100°C gap between the results obtained in real-time and those obtained after cooling. Moreover, 300°C can be considered as the critical temperature for real-time temperature heat treatment at which rocks lose almost about 80% of their performance. Otherwise, it is not easy to predict the behavior at high temperature of volcanic rocks like basalt and metamorphic rocks like gneiss which present the complexity in their behavior. For plutonic and metamorphic rocks, 600°C is the critical thermal load. At this temperature, the modulus of elasticity as well as the compressive strength of the most explored rock shows a significant decrease of about 75% for hard rocks. In sum, high temperature damages significantly the mechanical performance of rock. It is the reason for which these results may be useful to characterize the damage and thus predict the dramatic consequences of large temperature fluctuations on engineering structures in the rock.


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