Study of Adhesion and Evaluation of the Friction Forces Using a Scaled Roller-Rig

Adhesion is one of the most critical parameter related to the performance of railway vehicle, since it involves many aspects of railway vehicle dynamics and is subject to a strong variability. Adhesion is fundamental to define vehicle performance in case of traction and braking maneuver, but also has a strong influence in other aspects, where the tangential forces are involved, such as the vehicle running stability and derailment. Understanding in detail the adhesion conditions allows improvement of the performance of a vehicle, e.g. by working close to the limit of adhesion.