Abstract
A model for complex linear stability analysis of railway tread brakes has been developed. It accounts for inertial effects due to wheel rotation as well as damping provided by tangential wheel-rail contact forces. Kinematic constraint equations are used to model the normal brake-wheel contact. For a brake-wheel friction coefficient higher than 0.2, unstable vibrations develop for several system eigenmodes in the frequency range above 6 kHz. The required level of brake-wheel friction at onset of instability is influenced by the wheel profile and the tangential wheel-rail contact damping. The present work constitutes the first step in the development of a prediction model for railway tread brake noise.
