Development of an integrated design methodology for a new generation of high performance rail wheelsets

An integrated design methodology, based on the use of numerical simulation tools, is established and applied for the development of innovative railway wheels and axles having outstanding reliability performances. The advanced modelling of the dynamic vehicle mission, the determination of service loads and operational stresses and strains taking into account rail-wheel contact, together with appropriate predictive criteria related to in-service damage phenomena (e.g. fatigue, wear), offer a comprehensive framework for the assessment of wheelsets durability performance at the early design stages.