ABSTRACT
An “undesirable” rolling line offset can usually be found for a wheelset in severce negotiating a curved track with worn rails after making an analysis of wheelset / track contact geometry with their cross–sectional profiles measured in situ. In order to see the effects of this undesirable fact on the curving behaviour of railway vehicles and thus on the causes of rail side–cutting, theoretical work concentrated on the analysis of wheel / track contact geometry and on the development of a detailed wheelset / track model for dynamic curving simulation have been carried out. Geometrical analysis and curving study reveal that the magetude as well the sign of rolling line offset are strongly correlated with rail inclinations and the undesirable situation may be improved by properly incling the high rails and / or low rails on curved track with worn rails. Experimental work has also been conducted, which fully confirms the theoretical prediction.
