Continuous measurement of interaction forces between wheel and rail

Oscillatory wheel load fluctuation of considerable amplitude is always observed in railway cars traveling at high speed. This paper describes a continuous method for measuring the derailment coefficient and the forces between the wheel and rail. The acceleration measured on the axle box indicates that the frequency of this fluctuation can be as high as 70 Hz. Continuous measurement of wheel load using conventional methods is not possible due to this high frequency phenomenon. We have developed a new method for continuous measurement of these forces and the derailment coefficient using two pairs of strain gauge bridges with output phases shifted by 90°, and summing their outputs with a weighting function. This method works for measuring the forces between wheel and rail at high frequencies.