Mechanical deterioration of wheels and rails under winter conditions – mechanisms and consequences

This study focuses on identifying and understanding the core phenomena behind winter-related issues with regard to railways. State-of-the-art knowledge regarding the mechanical deterioration of wheels and rails is employed to obtain a first estimation of the influence of the different phenomena and to find out under which circumstances they are influential. The interaction between these different phenomena is discussed, as this additional level of complexity is necessary to develop a complete understanding.