Many of the engineering problems of particular importance to railways arise at interfaces and the safety-critical role of the wheel-rail interface is widely acknowledged. Thus better understanding of wheel-rail interfaces is critical to improving the capacity, reliability and safety of the railway system. This book is a one-stop reference for railway engineering practitioners and academic researchers. The first section provides the fundamentals of contact mechanics, wear, fatigue and lubrication as well as state-of-the-art research and emerging technologies related to the wheel-rail interface and its management. The second section offers an overview of industrial practice from several different regions of the world, thereby lending an international perspective.
