United States Department of Transportation
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The Effect of Heat Generation in the Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element on the Thermal Behavior of Railroad Bearing Assembly
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2018-01-01
[PDF-351.14 KB]
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Edition:January 2015 – May 2018
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Abstract:The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of heat generation in the railroad thermoplastic elastomer suspension element to develop an experimentally informed and validated finite element thermal model which can be used to attain temperature distribution maps of railroad bearing assemblies under a variety of normal and abnormal service conditions. Among other things, these maps will be useful for sensor data interpretation and identifying ideal locations for sensor placement for continuous temperature tracking of railroad bearings (e.g. IONX motes). Specifically, the main objectives of this project are: (1) to explore and quantify the heat generation in the railroad bearing elastomer suspension element with different material systems and under different loads, frequencies, and temperature scenarios; and (2) to determine the effect of this heat generation on the thermal behavior of railroad bearing assembly under different operation conditions. To this end, the contribution of the elastomer pad to the system energy balance was modeled using data from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of common materials in use for that part. DMA provides a full characterization of the elastic deformation (energy storage) and viscous dissipation (energy dissipation) behavior of the material as a function of load, frequency, and temperature. In parallel, CAD models of the railroad bearing assembly were developed using SOLIDWORKS™ commercial software to be used in constructing finite element models utilizing the ALGOR™ commercial software. The finite element (FE) model was used to conduct thermal finite element analyses using some of the expected operational boundary conditions and loads including the heat generation in the elastomer suspension system. The FE models were then validated with physical laboratory experiments. Finally, based on the simulations and experimental results, bearing assembly recommendations are suggested to further ensure the safe operation of railroad bearings.
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