Dynamic modeling and simulation of irregular faults in axle box bearings of high-speed trains

doi:10.1007/s10483-025-3303-6

Abstract

Abstract:

Axle box bearings are critical components of high-speed trains. Localized defects, such as pitting and spalling, on raceways or rollers pose significant threats to the operational safety of railway vehicles. In this work, a novel bearing-flexible axle box-vehicle coupling model is established to explore the vibration characteristics of axle box bearings with irregular localized defects. First, based on the contact and kinematic relationship between rollers and raceways, the three-dimensional (3D) bearing force elements are analyzed and formulated. Second, the established model and a flexible axle box are integrated into the vehicle, and the responses of the normal and faulty bearings under the combined excitations of wheel roughness and track irregularities are simulated. Third, the simulation results are verified through a rolling-vibrating test bench for full-scale wheelsets of high-speed trains. The comparisons of the fault-induced repetitive transients in the time-domain and the fault characteristic frequencies in the envelope spectra demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model. Finally, based on the flexible axle box model, a sensitivity analysis of the accelerometer placements to the bearing faults is carried out, and the optimal one is identified based on both the time-domain and frequency-domain signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for engineering applications.

Key words: axle box bearing, irregular fault, track irregularity, flexible axle box, accelerometer placement selection

2010 MSC Number:

U271

Xiaohui GU, Yajia WANG, Pengfei LIU, Zechao LIU, Shaopu YANG. Dynamic modeling and simulation of irregular faults in axle box bearings of high-speed trains. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (English Edition), 2025, 46(10): 1883-1902.

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Figures/Tables 33

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Table 1

Main geometric parameters of the axle box bearing"

Parameter	$D m$ /mm	$N$	$D r$ /mm	$l$ /mm	$α o / (∘)$	$α i / (∘)$	$μ$ /m
Value	185	17	26.5	45	11.23	10	50

Table 1

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Table 3

Main parameters of the vehicle system"

Items	Value
Vehicle body mass	38 884 kg
Bogie frame mass	2 200 kg
Wheelset mass	1 517 kg
Axle box mass	66.7 kg
Vertical/lateral stiffness of the primary suspension	886.5/919.8 $kN ⋅ m − 1$
Vertical damping of the primary suspension	10 $kN ⋅ s ⋅ m − 1$
Vertical/lateral stiffness of the secondary suspension	195/125 $kN ⋅ m − 1$
Vertical/lateral damping of the secondary suspension	10/15 $kN ⋅ s ⋅ m − 1$

Table 3

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