Development of effective performance measures for wayside rail curve lubrication in heavy haul lines

Abstract

Rail curve lubrication using wayside gauge face lubrication systems is widely used by the railway industry. It provides cost-effective solutions to reduce rail/wheel wear, energy consumption, costs and noise. Research efforts on cost-effective friction management solutions for the Australian heavy haul industry have been limited. Therefore, the performance measures necessary for the evaluation of effective gauge face lubrication practice have not been developed. Currently, there are no specific performance measures available for heavy haul rail curve lubrication. Also, the performance of in-rail lubrication seems to be poor in most cases. Appropriate performance measures should be implemented that can accurately demonstrate the actual performance of the lubrication. This paper is focused on the development of effective performance measures based on lubrication theory, maintenance regime, field testings of different wayside lubrication equipment technology and different greases currently used on heavy haul lines. Extensive field tests have been conducted on the Queensland Rail Network’s North Coast Line, which is a dedicated coal line. Data were collected and analysed for the development of performance measures and cost-effective lubrication decisions. The presented performance measures and illustrative examples could be used by other types of railway networks for enhancement of rail/wheel asset life, asset availability, reliability and safety along with reduction of costs.