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Rail profile synthesis with special reference to G1 continuity

Article in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit · January 2016
DOI: 10.1177/0954409715621436

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Original Article

Proc IMechE Part F:

J Rail and Rapid Transit
Rail profile synthesis with special 0(0) 1–20
! IMechE 2016

reference to G1 continuity Reprints and permissions:

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DOI: 10.1177/0954409715621436
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Ming-Hung Chien1,2, Ye-Ee Wu2, Kuen-Laing Liao3

and Wei-Hua Chieng4

Abstract
Generally, standards for rail profiles are in the form of rail section drawings, this renders them inapplicable for use in the
mathematical approaches used to calculate wheel/rail contact conditions. This article details a mechanical drawing
method for the description of numerous rail profiles and provides a rail profile equation. Many types of methods to
draw connected circular arcs are proposed, with special reference to the G1 continuity curve. The characteristic values
for segments of the rail profile are calculated using this analysis approach and high-accuracy (six decimal places) values are
obtained. Therefore, they can be used in the simulation of the rail/wheel interaction to avoid surface discontinuities and
thus provide a higher solution convergence rate. The proposed method based on the mechanical drawing analysis
approach is applicable to general rail profile design.

Keywords
Rail profile, mechanical drawing, G1 continuity, rail profile equation, G code equation

Date received: 18 September 2015; accepted: 25 September 2015

Introduction
Most research on wheel/rail contact and wear primar-
ily aims to understand the worn profiles of the wheel
and rail. The geometry condition of the track is a
qualitative factor for the wheel/rail interface and it
affects the dynamics of a vehicle and wear situ-
ations.1,2 The precise shape of the head of a rail sig-
nificantly influences the distribution and magnitude of
wear, surface fatigue and corrugation across the rail-
head and wheel tread. Generally, modern wheel and
rail proEles follow the advice of Heumann who sug-
gested the use of wheel and rail proEles that approxi-
mate the fully worn profile rather than purely coned
treads. The worn proEles of both the wheel and rail
have been approximated by circular arcs, to provide
an approximation of the effective conicity similar to
that of Heumann.1,3,4 A study by Sato5 found that if a
railhead is designed to have a worn profile, then it will
maintain the same form for the longest possible length
of time. This led to the use of multiple arcs to create
the tread profiles of the wheel and rail. In a simulation
of a multibody system, it is essential to evaluate the
contact problem approximately every millisecond, this
makes a detailed treatment of the contact problem
highly time-consuming. Simplifying the calculations
and accelerating the simulation process requires the
use of assumptions. This leads to a trade-off between
accuracy and computational efficiency of the contact
models. Ensuring the accuracy of the wheel/rail
profile allows the results on rolling contact to be
improved.6,7
The standards for rail profiles are generally in the
form of rail section drawings; this makes them unsuit-
able for direct use in the calculation of wheel/rail con-
tact situations. Therefore, many studies have focused
on the creation of an analytical equation of the rail
profile. The rail profile equation is important for
understanding the behaviour of the wheel/rail contact.
The rail profiles designed in prior studies8,9 used
drawings, from which the rail profile charac-
teristic values were subsequently calculated. The
International Union of Railways and Japan
Industrial Standards have proposed the use of math-
ematical equations to substitute for drawings. In the
published studies, computers were used to calculate
1
Institute of Railway Engineering, China Engineering Consultants Inc.,
Taiwan
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University of
Science and Technology, Taiwan
3
Railway Reconstruction Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and
Communications, Taiwan
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chiao Tung
University, Taiwan
Corresponding author:
Ming Hung Chien, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
Email: D10003501@mail.ntust.edu.tw
2 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

the rail profile based on the equations, this required its have their adjoining faces as the tangent are defined as
description with respect to a specific coordinate having G1 continuity. Generally, G1 continuity also
system where the coordinates coincide with the axis implies a G0 condition and is often sufficient in rail
of symmetry of the rail; however, neither of the stu- profile design. In conventional mechanical drawings,
dies found a way to obtain the rail profile equation.8,9 two arcs with different radii are often drawn such that
Gerlici and Lack10 developed railway wheel and the joining points and the centre points of the two arcs
railhead profiles based on the geometric characteris- are collinear, as shown in Figure 1. In this fashion,
tics of the intended wheel/rail contact. The profiles the two arcs are joined together along their common
created by the radius function R(y) depend on the tangent and possess G1 continuity.
lateral wheel profile coordination. The Nyström Such drawings may be synthesized by a disc rotat-
method was used to find the solution of the differen- ing on another rotating disc as shown in Figure 2.
tial function arising from the relationships of the This mechanism may also be obtained by a two-
curvature. Persson and Iwnicki11 presented a direct degree-of-freedom robot arm (dyad). The gripper on
optimization procedure for wheel profile design for the tip of the shorter arm draws a G1 continuous
railway vehicles based on a genetic algorithm. In add- curve.
ition, Braibant and Fleury12 presented the geometry
of a wheel profile described by a B-spline curve. The
final wheel and rail profile can respond to the require-
Mechanical Drawing
ments of the final geometrical characteristics. The standardized dimensions, such as: head width;
Other studies13–15 used an arc fitting and a multipoint tread width; web depth; rail height and base width
approximation method to optimize the circular arcs are shown in Figure 3. The rail profile is segmented
synthesized by the wheel and railhead. The radii were into several sections. For example, the first segment is
used to fit the profile of the railhead at discrete points a curve with a 300 mm radius and the International
along the rail. The results were obtained using a fitting
method, and some calculation error was generated
during this procedure.
This paper proposes a mechanical drawing method
to describe multiple rail profiles by specifically con-
sidering the G1 continuity of arcs. The following sec-
tion presents various rail profiles based on standard
critical dimensions. The rail profile is constructed
using multiple segments. Each segment has a start
and an end, called the characteristic points, and is
continuous in that the end-point is always the starting
point of the next segment. The values of the charac-
teristic points are calculated by mechanical analysis.
The mechanical drawing approach is proposed based
on the critical dimensions obtained from current
standards in order to reduce calculation errors. This
paper also presents a standardized G code to describe
the rail profile equation, which enhances the efficacy
of the equation for use in computer numerical control Figure 1. Conventional mechanical drawing for arc synthesis.
(CNC) machines.

Method for joining circular arcs

with G1 continuity
The tread area (running surface) of a rail profile is a
factor in the running stability of a vehicle. The area is
required to be smooth and is usually synthesized with
circular arcs to form a worn rail profile. This method
is advantageous, as it can reduce the contact stress at
the railhead. Thus, the continuity of rail profiles
should be able to meet the requirements of rail design.
The Gn, n ¼ 0, 1, 2, describes the relationship
between the adjoining faces of two curves that share
a common edge. Two curves that meet at an angle and
create a sharp corner or edge are defined as having G0
continuity. Two curves that share a common edge and Figure 2. Mechanism of the synthesis of arcs.
Chien et al. 3

Head
H Width
Tread
T Width

Rail Head (a) (b) (c)

Rail Head
hickness
Th

Weeb Upper Halff

Rail
H
Height Rail Web
b
(d) (e) (f)
Web
b Bottom Halff

Rail Base
Thickness Rail Base

Base Width
(g) (h)

Figure 3. Definition of rail profiles with standardized dimension’s at their cross-section: (a) JIS 50 N; (b) UIC 60; (c) UIC 54; (d) GB
P60; (e) JIS 60; (f) AREMA 133; (g) AS 68 and (h) IS 67.

Figure 4. Example of a segment of the rail profile: (a) JIS 50 N; (b) UIC 60; and (c) UIC 54.

Union of Railways 60 kg/m rail profile (UIC 60). To
calculate the characteristic value of a segment, we set
the crown of the railhead as the origin of the
Cartesian coordinates, as shown in Figure 4.
A mechanical drawing is used to describe the
numerous rail standards in operation around the
world, such as the International Union of Railways
(UIC), Guobiao standards (GB), Japan Industrial
Standards (JIS), American Railway Engineering
and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA),
Australian Standards (AS), and Indian Standards
(IS). Based on the common features of the UIC 60,
UIC 54, GB P60, JIS 50 N, JIS 60, AREMA 133, AS
68, and IS 67 rail profiles16–22, a drawing method is
proposed in Figure 5.
Bars, joints and sliders are used to construct the
mechanical drawing. The design of a rail profile, one
of the most important factors, has three sections:
head, web and base. The drawing of the head of the
requires two bases (A1 and A3), three bars (L1, L2 and
L3), a fillet (R15), two sliders (LS1 and LS2) and an
inclination (a3,2). The drawing of the web requires a
4 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

Y
w4
w1 LS1 X
O

w2
h1
w3
L3
h3
L2
RH l3

α3,1
LS2
R15

L4
α3,2
L5
L7
L6
h6
l7
h8
LS3 L1 L8
y0
α12,1 L10
w7 h9
L11 R12
L12
h5 α12,2 R11

h12
h13
LS4

w5 R13

L0

Figure 5. Definition of rail profile critical dimensions on mechanical drawing.

slider (L7) and six bars (L4, L5, L6, L8, L10 and L11). mechanism using the Grublert mobility equation,
Finally, two bases (A5 and A6), two inclinations (a12,1 which can be written as
and a12,2), three fillets (R11, R12, and R13) and a slider
(LS3) are required to form the base. A slider design X
F ¼ lðl  j  1Þ þ fj
between a3,2 and L4 (also between a12,1 and L11)
j
is used to link the three sections to each other.
The relationship between these components is shown
in Figure 6. where l is the mobility (¼ 3 (for planar mechanisms)),
l is the number ofP links (¼ 19), j is the number of
joints (¼ 26) and j fj is the number of degrees of
Synthesis of the method and Degrees of Freedom freedom of the joint (¼ 26).
The corresponding graph representation is shown in The result shows that the mechanism has two
Figure 7. We calculated the degrees of freedom of the degrees of freedom.
Chien et al. 5

X
O

C3
C2 s4

C4
C1 θ2 C5
s6
s7 C7
C6
A3 C8
θ9
C10
C9

C12

C11
C13
A5 C16

C15 s18
C14
s14 C17
C18
C20
C19
s15 s21
C22
C21
A6
Figure 7. Corresponding graph of the mechanical drawing
approach.

A1 The base. The base of the rail has four critical

dimensions: the width, thickness at its centre, inclin-
ation, and thickness at its edge. The width of the base
Figure 6. Definition of the relationships between provides an area to transfer the wheel/rail contact
components. force to the roadbed. The rail is set on a slab or a
sleeper and this ensures the stability of a running vehi-
cle. The segmented inclinations, the fishplate inclin-
ation, and the edge inclination increase the thickness
Critical Dimensions of the Rail Profiles of the base, which provides enough space for the rail
In this method, several critical geometry parameters fastener.
are used in the current standards. Each part is Based on rail design principles and the abovemen-
described as follows. tioned details, we chose the critical dimensions of the
The head. The main parameters are the width, rail profile from the various standards, and these are
height and radius of the head and the width of the listed in Table 1. However, not all of the parameters
tread area of the rail. The width and height of the were available in the rail standards. Some parameters
head can be used to evaluate the life, wear and rigidity that are important for rail profile calculation and not
of the rail. The width of the tread area is related to provided by the standards were denoted as TBC (to be
the reduction in contact stress level. The synthesized calculated) and classified into various cases. The
circular arcs comprising at least three radius usually values of the TBC parameters can be calculated
constitute a worn rail profile. Using a radius bigger using the mechanical analysis method. We also
than the other radius of the same rail head ensures renamed the parameters not provided in the standards
that the wheel and rail have one contact point. For and required to calculate the rail profile as NA (not
example, the maximum radius used in the head of a available).
JIS 50 N rail is 300 mm. An inclination at the side
edge of the head is usually used to improve the wear
between the wheel flange and the side rail. Analysis of the proposed approach
The web. The main parameter of the web is its
depth. The rail tends to increase the moment of iner-
for a rail profile
tia. The depth parameter reduces rail tilt and the A three-section study was designed to explore the cal-
occurrence of local buckling. The web is inclined to culation, processing and application of the proposed
the head and (and to the base). This inclination is drawing method for a rail profile. First, the base in the
created by the fishplate and facilitates the installation mechanical drawing was set as A1, A3, A5 and A6 at
of the combination in each rail. To reduce the effect of the X-axis of the symmetry of the rail profile. Then we
stress concentration, the rail web also uses the synthe- set the crown of the head of the rail as the origin of
sized circular arcs to construct a smooth surface. the Cartesian coordinates. The initial condition was
6 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

Table 1. Critical dimensions of the rail profiles by standards.

UIC60 UIC54 GB P60 JIS50N JIS60 AREMA133 AS68 IS67

Sym. (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (in) (mm) (mm)

Rail Head
R1 300.0 300.0 300.0 300.0 600.0 10.0 254.0 356.0
R2 80.0 80.0 80.0 80.0 50.0 1-1/4 31.8 11.1
R3 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 3/8 14.3
R15 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 5.0 1/16 7.9 NA
w1 TBC(1) TBC(1) TBC(1) 11.00 15.0 1-13/32 17.8 TBC(2B)
HW TBC(1) TBC(1) 73.0 65.0 65.0 3 74.6 74.6
TW 72.0 70.0 70.8 TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2B)
h1 14.3 14.1 14.2 TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2) TBC(2B)
h3 51.0 49.4 48.5 49.0 49.0 1-15/16 49.2 ¼36.5þ
w2tan3,2
3,1 1:20 1:20 1:20 1:40 1:40 4 1:40 NA
l1 ¼ R1 – R2
l2 ¼ R 2 - R3
l3 ¼ R3
y0 ¼ R1
w2 ¼ HW / 2
w3 ¼ TW / 2

Rail web
WD 16.5 16.0 16.5 15.0 16.5 11/16 17.5 25.4
RH(h4) 172.0 159.0 176.0 153.0 174.0 7-1/16 185.7 161.9
h5 31.5 30.2 30.5 30.0 30.1 1-3/16 30.2 23.8
h6 19.5(3) 25.4(3) ¼41.3 x ¼ h2 TBC(4) ¼ 1-5/32 x ¼ h2 –h3 –7.1 NA
(1 –R5 / R6) –h3 –11 (1 –R5 / R6)
l7 32.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54.0
w7 0 0 0 0 0 8 305.0 6.4
h8 ¼h6(5) TBC(6) TBC(6) TBC(6) TBC(6) TBC(6) TBC(6) NA
h9 ¼ (h4 þ h5– h3) /2 76.2 79.0 76.0 77.5 3-3/4 98.4 73.0
R4 7.0 8.0 8.0 6.0 19.0 7/16 7.9 22.2
R5 35.0 22.0 25.0 30.0 3/4 19.1
R6 120.0 508.0 400.0 500.0 500.0 8 203.0
R8 120.0 508.0 400.0 500.0 500.0 16 508.0 28.6
R9 ¼ R5 16.0 20.0 15.0 19.0 ¼ R5 ¼ R5
R10 ¼ R4
l4 ¼ R4
l5 ¼ R5 – R4
l6 ¼ R6 – R5
l8 ¼ R8 – R9
l10 ¼ R9– R10
l11 ¼ R10
w4 ¼ WD / 2 þ R6 ¼ WD / 41.3
2 þ R8

Railbase
h12 TBC(9) TBC(9) TBC(9) 18.5 ¼ h5 ¼ h5 ¼ h5 ¼ h5
h13 11.5 11.0 12.0 TBC(8) TBC(7) TBC(7) TBC(7) TBC(7)
R11 4.0 3.0 4.0 2.0 3.0 1/8 3.2 5.6
R12 40.0 20.0 40.0 20.0 NA NA NA NA
R13 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1/16 1.6 NA
12,2 1:14 1:10 1:9 1:10 ¼ 3,2 14 ¼ 3,2 1:6
(continued)
Chien et al. 7

Table 1. Continued

UIC60 UIC54 GB P60 JIS50N JIS60 AREMA133 AS68 IS67

Sym. (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (in) (mm) (mm)

BW 150 140 150.0 127 145 6 152.4 155.6

w5 ¼ BW / 2
Fishplate Spec.
3,2 1:2.75 1:2.75 1:3 1:2.75 1:4 18 260 600 1:4 1:3
12,1 ¼ 3,2 ¼ 12,2 ¼ 3,2 ¼ 12,2
TBC: To be calculated; NA: Not Available

defined from the rail profile design parameter as Equation (2) may be written as
follows
  " #  
0 ðl1 =y0 Þw1 cos 2
      q ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi
0 0 0 þ þ l 2
A1 ¼ , A3 ¼ , A5 ¼ , y0 l21  ððl1 =y0 Þw1 Þ2 sin 2
y0 h3 h5  RH     ð8Þ
  w3  cos 3,1
0 ¼ þ l3
A6 ¼ h1  sin 3,1
RH
Equation (7) may be written as
where y0 ¼ l1 þ l2 þ l3 .
     
w3 sin 3,1 sin 3,2  cos 3,1
þ s4 þ R15
The Head Section h1  cos 3,1  sin 3,1  cos 3,2
   
0 cos 3,2
The three radii (or bars) constitute the mechan- ¼ þ s6 ð9Þ
ical drawing of the head section. We used mechan- h3 sin 3,2
ical analysis to calculate the joint position and
solved for the TBC parameters. The head section Equation (6) may be rewritten as
was defined from the rail profile design parameters
as follows w2 ¼ w3 þ s4 sin 3,1  R15 cos 3,1 þ R15 ð10Þ
" #
ðl1 =y0 Þw1 There are seven parameters (w1 , 2 , w3 , h1 , s4 , s6
C1 ¼ A1 þ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ð1Þ and w2 ) in five equations. To determine the geom-
l21  ððl1 =y0 Þw1 Þ2
etry of the head, two parameters must be assigned
  values.
cos 2
C2 ¼ C1 þ l2
sin 2 Case 1: Parameters w3 and h1 are assigned values in
  ð2Þ
UIC 60, UIC 54 and GB P60.
 cos 3,1
¼ C3 þ l3 Parameters w1 and 2 may be obtained by solving
 sin 3,1
equation (8)
 
w3   " #
C3 ¼ ð3Þ cos 2 ðl1 =y0 Þw1
h1 l2 þ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi
 
sin 2 l21  ððl1 =y0 Þw1 Þ2
sin 3,1   ð11aÞ
C4 ¼ C3 þ s4 ð4Þ w3  l3 cos 3,1
 cos 3,1 ¼
y0  h1  l3 sin 3,1
 
 cos 3,1 The closed-form solution of equation (11a) is dis-
C5 ¼ C4 þ R15 ð5Þ
 sin 3,1 cussed in Appendix 2. Parameters s4 and s6 can be
obtained by solving equation (9)
w2 ¼ C5,x þ R15 ð6Þ
   
  s4 1  sin 3,2 cos 3,2
sin 3,2 ¼
C6 ¼ C5 þ R15 s6 cosð3,1  3,2 Þ cos 3,1 sin 3,1
 cos 3,2 "   #
  ð7Þ w3 þ R15 sin 3,2  cos 3,1
cos 3,2   
¼ A3 þ s6 h3  h1  R15 sin 3,1 þ cos 3,2
sin 3,2
ð11bÞ
8 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

The parameter w2 can then be obtained using equa- Using mechanical analysis, the critical parameters
tion (10). of the head can be obtained, and the characteristic
Case 2: Two parameters w1 and w2 are assigned values value of each segment can then be calculated using
in JIS 50 N, JIS 60, AREMA 133 and AS 68. geometrical relationships. For example, the character-
Parameter s6 can be obtained by comparing the istic value of the first segment can be calculated with
x-components of equations (9) and (10) w1 and a radius of 300 mm.
 
w2 þ R15 sin 3,2  1
s6 ¼ ð12aÞ Web Section
cos 3,2
Three bars and four joints constitute the mechanical
Parameter w3 can be written in terms of s4 by rearran- drawing of the web’s upper half section. A slider,
ging equation (10) C7, connects it to the head of the rail. The TBC
parameters can be calculated by processing the avail-
w3 ¼ w2  s4 sin 3,1 þ R15 cos 3,1  R15 ð12bÞ able data. The web’s upper half section is defined from
the rail profile design parameters as follows
Parameter h1 may also be written in terms of s4 by
equating the y-components of equation (9)  
cos 3, 2
C7 ¼ A3 þ s7 ð14Þ
sin 3,2
h1 ¼ h3  s4 cos 3,1  s6 sin 3,2
  ð12cÞ
 R15 sin 3,1 þ cos 3,2  
sin 3,2
The parameters 2 and s4 may be obtained by solving C8 ¼ C7 þ l4 ð15Þ
 cos 3,2
equation (8) provided that equations (12b) and (12c)
are used such that w3 and h1 are substituted for by the  
cos 9
unknown parameter s4 C9 ¼ C8  l5
sin 9
    " qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi # ð16Þ
cos 2  sin 3,1  l26  h26
l2  s4 ¼ C10 þ
sin 2 cos 3,1 h6
2   3
w2 þ R15 cos 3,1  1  l3 cos 3,1  yl10 w1 2 3
60 17 w4
6 y0  l3 sin 3,1 þ s6 cos 3,2  h3 þ 7
¼6 ffiA7
rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi C10 ¼4 l7 5 ð17Þ
4@     2 5 h9 þ  RH
R15 sin 3,1 þ cos 3,1  l21  yl10 w1 2

ð12dÞ
There are three parameters (9 , h6 and s7 ) and two
The closed-form solution of equation (12d) is equations (16). To determine the geometry of the top
discussed in Appendix 3. half of the web, one parameter must be assigned a
Case 2A: Parameter l2 is zero and parameters R15 value.
and 3,1 are not available in this case. There is
no need to solve 2 . Parameter w2 is assigned a Case 3: Parameter h6 is assigned a value in UIC 60,
value in IS 67. UIC 54, GB P 60, JIS 50 N, AREMA 133 and
Equation (10) yields w3 ¼ w2 . Parameters w1 and h1 AS 68.
may be obtained by solving equation (8) The two parameters 9 and s7 may be obtained by
solving the following two equations
2 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 3
    w4  l26  h26  l4 sin 3,2
cos 9 cos 3,2 6 7
l5  s7 ¼ 4 5 ð18Þ
sin 9 sin 3,2 l7
h9 þ  RH þ h6 þ l4 cos 3,2 þ h3
2
w3  l3 The closed-form solution of equation (18) is discussed
w1 ¼ y0 in Appendix 3.
l1 ð13aÞ
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi Case 4: Parameter l5 is zero in JIS 60.
h1 ¼ y0  l21  ðw3  l3 Þ2 There is no need to solve 9 . The two parameters h6
and s7 may be obtained by solving the following
Parameters s4 and s6 may be obtained using
equation (9)
    "   #
s4 1  sin 3,2 cos 3,2 w3 þ R15 sin 3,2  cos 3,1
¼    ð13bÞ
s6 cosð3,1  3,2 Þ cos 3,1 sin 3,1 h3  h1  R15 sin 3,1 þ cos 3,2
Chien et al. 9

two equations
" qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi #    
 l26  h26 cos 3,2 w4  l4 sin 3,2
 s7 ¼ ð19Þ
h6 sin 3,2 h9 þ l27  RH þ l4 cos 3,2 þ h3

The closed-form solution of equation (19) is discussed s14 may be obtained by solving the following two
in Appendix 4. equations
" qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi #    
 l28  h28 cos 12,1 w4 þ w7  l11 sin 12,1
 s14 ¼ ð24Þ
h8  sin 12,1 h9  l27  h5  l11 cos 12,1

Case 4A: Link lengths l6 and l5 are both zero in IS 67. The closed-form solution of equation (24) is discussed
Parameter h9 is not available in this rail profile. in Appendix 4.
There is no need to solve for h6 and 9 . Parameter s7 Case 6A: Parameters l8 and l10 are both zero in IS 67.
may be obtained by solving the following equation Thus, there is no need to solve h8 and 13 .
Parameter s14 may be obtained by solving the fol-
w4  l4 sin 3,2 lowing equation
s7 ¼ ð20Þ
cos 3,2
w4 þ w7  l11 sin 12,1
s14 ¼ ð25Þ
The web’s bottom half section consists of three bars cos 12,1
and four joints. The web’s upper half and bottom half
are linked by C10 and C11 . The web’s bottom half
section is defined using the rail profile design param-
Base Section
eters as follows The base section of the rail is composed of the
  mechanical mechanism that have two bases, two incli-
w4 þ w7
C11 ¼ nations, three fillets and a slider. A slider, C14 connects
h9  l27  RH it to the bottom half section of the web. It is defined
" qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi #
using the rail profile design parameters as follows
l28  h28
C12 ¼ C11 
 
h8 ð21Þ cos 12,1
  C15 ¼ A5 þ s15 ð26Þ
cos 13  sin 12,1
C13 ¼ C12 þ l10
sin 13
  In equation (26), the two-dimensional point C14 is
sin 12,1
¼ C14 þ l11 obtained from equation (22) and treated as the known
cos 12,1 parameter in the following equations
 
cos 12,1  
C14 ¼ A5 þ s14 ð22Þ sin 12,1
 sin 12,1 C16 ¼ C15 þ R12 ð27Þ
cos 12,1
 
There are three parameters (13 , h8 and s14 ) and two  sin 12,2
C17 ¼ C16 þ R12
equations (21). To determine the geometry of the  cos 12,2
web’s bottom half, one parameter must be assigned 2  3
s15 cos 12,1 þ R12 sin 12,1  sin 12,2
a value. 6 7
Case 5: Parameter h8 is assigned a value in UIC 60. ¼64 h5  RH  s15 sin 12, 1
7
5
Parameters 13 and s14 may be obtained by solving  
þ R12 cos 12,1  cos 12,2
the following two equations
    ð28Þ
cos 13 cos 12,1
l10  s14 From the geometry, the following can be derived
sin 13  sin 12,1
2 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 3
ð23Þ h12 ¼ C17,x tan 12,2 þ ðRH þ C17,y Þ
w4 þ w7  l28  h28  l11 sin 12,1 ð29Þ
¼ 4 5
¼ D12 þ s15 B12
h9  l27  h5  h8  l11 cos 12,1
where
The closed-form solution of equation (23) is discussed  
in Appendix 3. D12 ¼ R12 sin 12,1  sin 12,2 tan 12,2
Case 6: Parameter l10 ¼ 0 in UIC 54, GB P60, JIS  
þ cos 12,1  cos 12,2 þ h5
50 N, JIS 60, AREMA 133 and AS 68. Thus,  
B12 ¼ cos 12,1 tan 12,2  sin 12,1
there is no need to solve 13 . Parameters h8 and
10 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

(a) tang
gent2 (b)
P P tangent
tangent1
t

R2 R2

C2
C2

R1 R1
C1 C1

Figure 8. Boundary condition at point P: (a) prior study (tangent1 6¼ tangent2; and (b) G1 continuity in this study
(tangent1 ¼ tangent2 ¼ tangent).

High Rail

Low Rail

Radius of Curvature =1800mm

Centre of Curvature

Rail Central Gauge = 1500mm

Wheel Check Gauge = 1426mm

Flange Width = 4.5mm
Origin Rail
Inside Gauge = 1360mm

High Rail Low Rail

Clearance = 4.5mm

Figure 9. Initial condition of wheelset/track geometry on right-curved section: (a) the curved track and (b) dimensions of the
guidance and clearance.

Thus, equation (28) may be rewritten as  

 sin 12,2
2 3 C19 ¼ C18 þ R11 ð31Þ
h12  D12  cos 12,2
6 cos 12,1 7
6 B12 7
6   7  
6 þ R12 sin 12,1  sin 12,2 7 1
C17 ¼ A5 þ 6 7 C20 ¼ C19 þ R11 ð32Þ
6 h12  D12 7 0
6  sin 12,1 7
4 B12 5  
  0
þ R12 cos 12,1  cos 12,2 C21 ¼ C20 þ s21
ð28aÞ 1
 BW  ð33Þ
  ¼ A6 þ 2
C17,x þ ðRH þ C17,y  h13 Þ cot 12,2 R13
C18 ¼
h13  RH  
  1
cos 12,2 C22 ¼ C21 þ R13 ð34Þ
¼ C17 þ s18 ð30Þ 0
 sin 12,2
Chien et al. 11

Figure 10. Flowchart of the vehicle/rail simulation procedure.

8000
Comparison Time(s)

6000

4000

2000
PriorStudy
ThisStudy

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
Loop(cycle)

Figure 11. Comparison of computation times.

12 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

There are three parameters (h12 , h13 and s21 ) in terms The parameter h12 can be obtained by solving equa-
of two equations (33), they can be obtained as follows tion (29), and then parameter s18 can be obtained
by solving equation (30)
2 3
C17,x þ ðRH þ C17,y  h13 Þ cot 12,2
6 7 h5  h13 s15 sin 12, 1 
4 þ R11 ð1  sin 12,2 Þ 5
þR12 cos 12, 1  cos 12, 2
h13  RH  R11 cos 12,2  s21 ð35Þ s18 ¼ ð39Þ
  sin 12, 2
BW
2
¼
R13  RH
The parameter s21 can be obtained by solving equa-
To determine the geometry of the base section, one tion (33)
parameter must be assigned a value.
s21 ¼ h13  R13  R11 cos 12,2 ð40Þ
Case 7: 12,1 ¼ 12,2 is assigned in JIS 60, AREMA 133,
AS 68 and IS 67. Equation (29) yields h12 ¼ h5 .
Equation (28) may be used instead of equation
(28a) when calculating equation (35). The param-
eters h13 and s21 can be obtained by solving
Results
2 3 We compare the rail profile derived in this study with
BW
   h 5 cot 12,2 those derived in other studies. The benchmarks were
h13 cot 12,2 6 2 7
¼6 4
7 set based on the railway software developed by Wu
h13  s21  R11 ð1  sin 12,2 Þ 5 et al.23 The rail profile with G1 continuity presented in
R13 þ R11 cos 12,2
this study was coded into a subroutine replacing the
ð36Þ former subroutine based on the previous method.23
Case 8: Parameter h12 is assigned a value in JIS 50N. The rail profiles generated by different subroutines
Parameter s15 is obtained by solving equation (29), were compared and are depicted in Figure 8. The
and then the parameters h13 and s21 can be subroutine was called by the software every time the
obtained as follows contact problem needed to be evaluated.
Taiwan High Speed Rail provided the parameter
0 BW 1
values used in the numerical analysis. The analysis
 þ R11 ð1  sin 12,2 Þ
B 2   C simulated the scenario where a train runs on slab
B C
B þ R12 sin 12,1  sin 12,2 C track in a right-curved section. The radius of curva-
B    C
B þ cos 12,1  cos 12, 2 cot 12,2 C ture of the wheel tread surface was R1000 mm24 and
B C
B  C the surface was simplified to a conical shape, as in the
@ þ s15 cos 12,1  sin 12,1 cot 12,2 A
prior study. The critical dimensions of the guidance
þ h5 cot 12,2 and clearance when the train is static on the rail are
h13 ¼
cot 12,2 indicated in Figure 9. The finite element method
ð37Þ (FEM), based on the equation of discrete motion of
the vehicle/track system, was used to calculate wheel/
The parameter s21 can be obtained by solving equa- rail interactions including the normal contact force
tion (33) and the tangential creep force. The simulation soft-
ware used the nonlinear Hertzian theory of elastic
s21 ¼ h13  R13  R11 cos 12,2 contact to simulate the normal contact force,
Kalker’s linear creep theory to simulate the tangential
Case 9: Parameter h13 is assigned a value in UIC 60, creep force, and the Newmark method to allow the
UIC 54 and GB P60. Parameters h12 and s21 can be convergence of the dynamic responses of the vehicle/
obtained by solving the two equations stated in track system at each time step. The flowchart of the
equation (35) simulation is shown in Figure 10. The software was
8 9 implemented in FORTRAN. The purpose of the
>
> BW >
> numerical analysis was to analyse the steady state
>
>  R11 ð1  sin 12, 2 Þ >
>
>
> 2 >
> dynamic behaviour due to the wheel/rail interactions.
>
< >
=
 ðh5  h13 Þ cot 12, 2 The train velocity, an input to the numerical simula-
>   > tion, was modelled as a Heaviside function (step func-
>
>  R12 sin 12, 1  sin 12, 2 >
>
>
> >
> tion), which allowed the train to run from zero to a
>
>   >
>
: þ cot  cos   cos  ; constant velocity in zero simulation time.
12, 2 12, 1 12, 2
s15 ¼ The rail profile formulated in this study yields a
cos 12, 1  sin 12, 1 cot 12, 2 better convergence rate in the FEM analysis; the
ð38Þ result shows that there is a near 25% improvement
in the computation time, as shown in Figure 11.
Chien et al.
0.45
Contact to Wheel Flange
0.40
0.35
Contact Angle(Rad) 0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
R600
0.10
mm
0.05
0.00
0.0 0.1
Figure 12. Contact angle between the rail and wheel.
The contact angles for different rail profiles are shown
in Figure 12. The JIS 60 rail profile consists of three
different radii of curvature, R600, R50 and R13. The
contact zone rapidly changes during the initial 0.0 to
0.1 s of the simulation. In both studies, discontinuities
in the contact zones occur when the contact zone
moves from R600 to R50. The literature on wheel
and rail contact contains numerous reports on these
discontinuities, for example, Shen et al.15 Different
models of rail profile yield very different contact
angle solutions that directly affect the numerical ana-
lyses. In the analysis of the vertical contact force, as
shown in Figure 13, both the prior study and this study
yield the same steady state response after 0.4 s of the
simulation. However, the prior study with an ill-
conditioned contact angle around 0.062 s can induce
a larger vertical contact force, which causes a larger
excitation in the numerical analysis, and eventually
downgrades the corresponding numerical convergence
rate. Figure 14 shows the results of the analysis of the
tangential creep force; it rapidly increases at the time
the contact zone on the rail profile reaches the R50
section. The prior study that did not have the G1 con-
tinuity presented the tangential creep force responses
with noise. In Figure 14(b), between 0.7 and 0.75 s of
the simulation, the analysis is barely stable with the rail
profile modelled using the previous method. The same
effect can be found in other specific instances of time
(not shown) in the same analysis.
The current method that has the property of G1
continuity, yields accurate segment characteristic
values of the rail profile, thus avoiding surface discon-
tinuities and providing a faster convergence rate than
previous studies. In the study by Sato25, the rail
13
R50mm
Contact to Wheel Flange
PriorStudy
R50mm ThisStudy
0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Time(s)
profile equations did not have G1 continuity.
Table 2 shows a comparison of results between that
study and the present method. In addition, Table 3
shows that the characteristic values of the rail can be
calculated and coded in a list of G code lines derived
from the presented mechanical method. The G code
equations describe the section of a rail profile from its
start to its end. A solid rail product was confirmed by
a CNC simulation program (a test version was used in
this study), as shown in Figure 15. In summary, the
method is useful for optimizing the rail profile and its
dimensions.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have
shown the derivation of rail profile equations.
Therefore, the purpose of the study was to discuss a
methodology for the formulation of a highly accurate
rail profile equation. A formulation based on the G1
continuity of circular arcs was presented; it was verified
via comparison with existing rail profile standards. A
mechanical drawing approach was presented as a gen-
eral method to obtain rail profile synthesis based on G1
continuity. The method was used to create a rail profile
synthesis for UIC, JIS, AREMA, GB, AS and IS
standards. The critical dimensions referenced from
the current standards limited the rail profiles. The pro-
posed method enabled accurate analysis of rail profiles
by using mechanical drawings. Unlike prior methods,
the proposed method uses critical dimensions from the
standards to obtain more accurate rail profile equa-
tions. The corresponding numerical simulation of the
proposed method showed not only a reduction of 25%
14 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

(a) 100000

PriorStudy
90000 ThisStudy
Contact Force (N)

80000

70000

60000

50000
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Time(s)
(b) 100000

PriorStudy
90000 ThisStudy
Contact Force (N)

80000

70000

60000

50000
0.055 0.060 0.065 0.070 0.075 0.080 0.085 0.090
Time(s)

Figure 13. Vertical contact force (P force): (a) full time history and (b) zoom-in result for 0.055 to 0.09 s of the simulation.

in the computation time but also improvements in the
numerical stability. Even though this study offers valu-
able insights into the use of mechanical drawing, the
design of the present study is not without limitations.
Many different types of rail profiles exist. Rail profiles
that required more than three arcs to construct the
tread area were classified as special cases for this
study, such as the AS 50 and AS 60 rail profiles.
Other rail profiles, such as the grooved rail, are not
I-section types. These special cases will be investigated
after improvements to the proposed mechanical design
process have been made.
Despite the limitations of our method, we believe
that the findings from this study are intriguing enough
to invite further research on the topic of rail profile
equations, as well as on other topics of wheel/rail con-
tact behaviour. The results could aid research into
wheel/rail contact or wear.
The proposed method is shown to be applicable to
the problem of rail profile design; different rail profiles
can be obtained by rearranging the arcs so that they
fulfil the critical dimensions of the standards. If the
critical dimensions are specified, then new rail profiles
can be created. Although other issues, such as the rail
temperature causing rail irregularity and the mechan-
ical properties of rail/wheel materials, can affect the
rail/wheel interaction, the rail contact points, which
accurately determine rail profiles, and the G1
Chien et al. 15

(a)
PriorStudy
20000 ThisStudy

Tangential Creep Force(N) 15000

10000

5000

0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Time(s)
(b)
PriorStudy
20000 ThisStudy
Tangential Creep Force(N)

15000

10000

5000

0
0.055 0.060 0.065 0.070 0.075 0.080 0.085 0.090
Time(s)

Figure 14. Tangential creep force (Q force): (a) full time history and (b) zoom-in result for 0.055 to 0.09 s of the simulation.

25
Table 2. Coordinates of JIS 50 N and JIS 60 rail profiles compared with those of Sato study.

Sec. JIS 50 N JIS5 0N25 JIS 60 JIS 6025

0 x ¼ 0.000000 x¼0 x ¼ 0.000000 x¼0

y ¼ 0.000000 y¼0 y ¼ 0.000000 y¼0
1 x ¼ 11.000000 x ¼ 11 x ¼ 15.000000 x ¼ 15
y ¼ 0.201734 y ¼ 0.201734 y ¼ 0.187529 y ¼ 0.187529
2 x ¼ 21.065269 x ¼ 21.0652 x ¼ 20.725088 x ¼ 20.7251
y ¼ 1.211025 y ¼ 1.21102 y ¼ 0.660811 y ¼ 0.660814
3 x ¼ 31.948935 x ¼ 31.9489 x ¼ 31.907504 x ¼ 31.9075
y ¼ 13.71375 y ¼ 13.7134 y ¼ 13.208796 y ¼ 13.2088
(continued)
16 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

Table 2. Continued

Sec. JIS 50 N JIS5 0N25 JIS 60 JIS 6025

4 x ¼ 32.499375 x ¼ 32.4994 x ¼ 32.498438 x ¼ 32.4985

y ¼ 35.730979 y ¼ 35.731 y ¼ 36.846157 y ¼ 36.8462
5 x ¼ 31.183486 x ¼ 31.1835 x ¼ 28.712678 x ¼ 28.7127
y ¼ 37.660550 y ¼ 37.6606 y ¼ 41.821830 y ¼ 41.8218
6 x ¼ 14.185373 x ¼ 14.1855 x ¼ 23.920361 x ¼ 23.9204
y ¼ 43.841682 y ¼ 43.8416 y ¼ 43.019910 y ¼ 43.0199
7 x ¼ 10.842903 x ¼ 10.843 x ¼ 9.579042 x ¼ 9.57911
y ¼ 46.850554 y ¼ 46.8506 y ¼ 60.068209 y ¼ 60.0682
8 x ¼ 7.827178 x ¼ 7.82718 x ¼ 9.571318 x ¼ 9.57132
y ¼ 58.914894 y ¼ 58.9149 y ¼ 132.825910 y ¼ 132.826
9 x ¼ 9.101387 x ¼ 9.10136 x ¼ 23.912931 x ¼ 23.9148
y ¼ 116.985275 y ¼ 116.985 y ¼ 149.878233 y ¼ 149.879
10 x ¼ 18.927199 x ¼ 18.928 x ¼ 70.227607 x ¼ 70.2276
y ¼ 129.882618 y ¼ 129.883 y ¼ 161.456902 y ¼ 161.457
11 x ¼ 41.267461 x ¼ 41.2675 x ¼ 72.500000 x ¼ 72.5
y ¼ 138.006349 y ¼ 138.006 y ¼ 164.367329 y ¼ 164.367
12 x ¼ 46.112248 x ¼ 46.1074 x ¼ 72.500000 x ¼ 72.5
y ¼ 139.111225 y ¼ 139.111 y ¼ 172.000000 y ¼ 172
13 x ¼ 61.699007 x ¼ 61.699 x ¼ 70.500000 x ¼ 70.5
y ¼ 140.669901 y ¼ 140.67 y ¼ 174.000000 y ¼ 174
14 x ¼ 63.500000 x ¼ 63.5 x ¼ 0.000000 x¼0
y ¼ 142.659975 y ¼ 142.66 y ¼ 174.000000 y ¼ 174
15 x ¼ 63.500000 x ¼ 63.5
y ¼ 151.000000 y ¼ 151
16 x ¼ 61.500000 x ¼ 61.5
y ¼ 153.000000 y ¼ 153
17 x ¼ 0.000000 x¼0
y ¼ 153.000000 y ¼ 153

Table 3. Mathematical G code equation of rail profile.

Sec. UIC 60 UIC 54 GB P60

1 G02X10.228020Y-0.174405 G02X10.012279Y-0.167123 G02X9.950786Y-0.165076

R300.000000 R300.000000 R300.000000
2 G02X26.026723Y-2.302574 G02X24.863391Y-2.064804 G02X25.349752Y-2.184499
R80.000000 R80.000000 R80.000000
3 G02X36.000000Y-14.300000 G02X35.000000Y-14.100000 G02X35.400000Y-14.200000
R13.000000 R13.000000 R13.000000
4 G01X37.048763Y-35.275267 G01X35.997870Y-34.057410 G01X36.430710Y-34.814204
5 G02X35.077736Y-38.244460 G02X34.026843Y-37.026603 G02X35.065661Y-36.811446
R3.000000 R3.000000 R2.000000
6 G01X16.501569Y-44.999429 G01X15.753801Y-43.671345 G01X17.789973Y-42.570009
7 G03X12.237964Y-49.409979 G03X11.317920Y-47.640945 G03X13.291835Y-46.337464
R7.000000 R8.000000 R8.000000
8 G03X11.450465Y-52.220588 G03X9.081789Y-55.965021 G03X10.387825Y-55.700000
R35.000000 R22.000000 R25.000000
9 G03X8.250000Y -79.750000 G03X8.000000Y-89.100000 G03X8.250000Y-97.000000
R120.000000 R508.000000 R400.000000
10 G01X8.25Y-111.750000 G03X9.060595Y-121.909137 G03X10.197420Y-1364226307
R508.000000 R400.000000
(continued)
Chien et al. 17

Table 3. Continued
Sec. UIC 60 UIC 54 GB P60

11 G03X11.450465Y-139.279412 G03X19.559301Y-135.912473 G03X23.775494Y-153.425165

R120.000000 R16.000000 R20.000000
12 G03X12.237964Y-142.090021 G01X43.922633Y-144.771867 G01X43.508983Y-160.002994
R35.000000
13 G03X16.501569Y-146.500571 G03X48.767420Y-145.876742 G03X51.740833Y-161.811012
R7.000000 R20.000000 R40.000000
14 G01X45.770339Y-157.143760 G01X67.298511Y-147.729851 G01X71.441726Y-164.000000
15 G03X56.590180Y-159.450371 G02X70.000000Y-150.714963 G02X75.000000Y-167.975535
R40.000000 R3.000000 R4.000000
16 G01X71.284988Y-160.500000 G01X70.000000Y-156.000000 G01X75.000000Y-174.000000
17 G02X75.000000Y-164.489835 G02X68.000000Y-159.000000 G02X73.000000Y-176.000000
R4.000000 R2.000000 R2.000000
18 G01X75.000000Y-170.000000 G01X0.000000Y-159.000000 G01X0.000000Y-176.000000
19 G02X73.000000Y-172.000000
R2.000000
20 G01X0.000000Y-172.000000

Sec. JIS 50N AS 68 AREMA 133

1 G02X11.000000Y-0.201734 G02X17.800000Y-0.624715 G02X13.512427Y-0.359675
R300.000000 R253.900000 R254.000000
2 G02X21.065269Y-1.211025 G02X28.409508Y-3.259947 G02X31.930272Y-7.492879
R80.000000 R31.700000 R31.750000
3 G02X31.948935Y-13.71375 G02X36.857038Y-15.889668 G02X35.400000Y-14.200000
R13.000000 R14.200000 R9.525000
4 G01X32.499375Y-35.730979 G01X37.297532Y-33.509428 G01X36.900358Y-35.656113
5 G02X31.183486Y-37.660550 G02X31.316031Y-41.370992 G02X35.818738Y-37.272885
R2.000000 R7.900000 R1.587500
6 G01X14.185373Y-43.841682 G01X18.088292Y-44.677927 G01X19.510016Y-42.709142
7 G03X10.842903Y-46.850554 G03X12.614056Y-49.550287 G03X13.657163Y-47.272418
R6.000000 R7.900000 R11.112500
8 G03X7.827178Y-58.914894 G03X11.654990Y-53.080315 G03X10.864802Y-54.768750
R30.000000 R19.100000 R19.050000
9 G03X7.500000Y-77.000000 G03X8.750000Y-87.300000 G03X8.73125Y-84.137500
R500.000000 R203.000000 R203.200000
10 G03X9.101387Y-116.985275 G03X12.128024Y-145.786422 G03X12.597013Y-140.058409
R500.000000 R508.000000 R406.400000
11 G03X18.927199Y-129.882618 G03X26.468585Y-162.117146 G03X26.857193Y-155.921250
R15.000000 R19.100000 R19.050000
12 G01X41.267461Y-138.006349 G01X73.776114Y-73.944029 G01X73.793102Y-167.623687
13 G03X46.112248Y-139.111225 G02X76.200000Y-177.048485 G02X76.200000Y-170.704376
R20.000000 R3.200000 R3.175000
14 G01X61.699007Y-140.669901 G01X76.200000Y-184.100000 G01X76.200000Y-177.000000
15 G02X63.500000Y-142.659975 G02X74.600000Y-185.700000 G02X74.612500Y-179.387500
R2.000000 R1.600000 R1.5875
16 G01X63.500000Y-151.000000 G01X0.000000Y-185.700000 G01X0.000000Y-179.387500
17 G02X61.500000Y-153.000000
R2.000000
18 G01X0.000000Y-153.000000

Sec. JIS 60 IS 67
1 G02X15.000000Y-0.187529 G02X27.043201Y-1.028642
R600.000000 R356.000000
2 G02X20.725088Y-0.660811 G02X37.300000Y-12.096569
R50.000000 R11.100000
(continued)
18 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

Table 3. Continued

Sec. JIS 60 IS 67
3 G02X31.907504Y-13.208796 G01X37.300000Y-36.500000
R13.000000
4 G01X32.498438Y-36.846157 G01X25.825398Y-41.639408
5 G02X28.712678Y-41.821830 G03X12.700000Y-61.900000
R5.000000 R22.200000
6 G01X23.920361Y-43.019910 G01X12.700000Y-115.900000
7 G03X9.579042Y-60.068209 G03X36.664790Y-144.121886
R19.000000 R28.600000
8 G03X8.250000Y-96.500000 G01X73.107593Y-150.107313
R500.000000
9 G03X9.571318Y-132.825910 G02X77.800000Y-155.633276
R500.000000 R5.600000
10 G03X23.912931Y-149.878233 G01X77.800000Y-161.900000
R19.000000
11 G01X70.227607Y-161.456902 G01X0.000000Y-161.900000
12 G02X72.500000Y-164.367329
R3.000000
13 G01X72.500000Y-172.000000
14 G02X70.500000Y-174.000000
R2.000000
15 G01X0.000000Y-174.000000
*The G code is set as the origin of the Cartesian coordinates (X 0.000000 Y0.000000).

Figure 15. Simulation of full UIC 60 rail profile using G code.

continuity, which determines the wear of rail/wheels, Funding

provided in this paper are key factors in the life of the
rail. The G code of the rail profile listed in Table 3 is
suitable for fabricating high-precision rails. The
approach could also be used to fabricate a ‘go/no
go’ gauge to facilitate product inspection tools for
rails.
This work was supported by Hurco Automation Ltd as part
of the project ‘Five-Axis NC machining machine and CAM
technology’ (grant 101-EC-17-A-04-IE-0122). The work was
also supported by the Department of Mechanical
Engineering of the National Taiwan University of Science
and Technology.
Chien et al. 19

Acknowledgements 11. Persson I and Iwnicki SD. Optimisation of railway pro-

The authors would like to thank Professor T. H. Yang for
his guidance on the methodology. The CNC simulation and
verification was supported by Cutviewer (test version).
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1. Manfred Z, Dirk N, Gerald G, et al. A multi-national
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Netherlands: MRT Productions, 2001.
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Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, 2006.
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Appendix 2
Appendix 1
The solution of the following equation is equivalent to
Nomenclature
the intersection of two circles, see Figure 16
The notation used in this paper is listed in Table 4.
Table 4. Notation.

Symbol Name Symbol Name

HW Width of head w5 Half of rail base

TW Width of tread area w7 Width of joint between B6 and B8 on B7
WD Depth of rail web h1 Height of rail tread area
RH(h4) Height of rail h3 Thickness of head
BW Width of base h5 Thickness of rail base at centre
Rn Radius of curvature of the rail profile h6 Distance of B6 on rail web
An Base of mechanical mechanism h8 Distance of B8 on rail web
Bn Serial number of bar (radius of each arc) h9 Height of B7 reference from rail base
Cn Serial number of joint (entre of each arc) h12 Thickness of rail base at inclination
ln Length of bar h13 Thickness of rail base at edge
y0 Sum of l1, l2 and l3 sn Slider distance of two bars
w1 Half of R1 arc on head 3,1 Rail’s inclination to the head
w2 Half of head 3,2 Fishplate’s inclination to the head
w3 Half of tread area 12,1 Fishplate’s inclination to the base
w4 Width of B7reference from Y-axis 12,2 Inclination of rail base
20 Proc IMechE Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 0(0)

Y Y
a 2w
sa2
θ

a0
θ
φ a0
a4 a4
a1
X
O a3 X
O a3 sa1

Figure 16. The relationship of the intersection of two circles. Figure 17. The relationship of the intersection of a circle and
a line.

  " a2 w
#  
From the two solutions, the positive one is a pos-
cos  a3
a0 þ qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2 2 ¼ ð41Þ sible answer. The corresponding angle is
sin  a1  ða2 wÞ a4
sa2  a4
 ¼ tan1 ð44Þ
sa1  a3
The solution is as follows
Appendix 4
a1 cosðtan1 ða4 =a3 Þ þ Þ
w¼ The solution of the following equation is equivalent to
a2
a  a1 sinðtan1 ða4 =a3 Þ þ Þ the intersection of a circle and a line
4
 ¼ tan1
a3  a1 cosðtan1 ða4 =a3 Þ þ Þ      
w a3 a1
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi þ ¼s ð45Þ
a0  w 2 a4 a2
where
0 1 The solution may be related to Appendix 3 as
2 2 2 2
follows
B a þ a3 þ a4  a0 C
 ¼  cos1 @ 1 qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi A
2a1 a23 þ a24 w ¼ a0 cos  ð46Þ

where
 is chosen such that w > 0.
sa2  a4
 ¼ tan1
sa1  a3
Appendix 3
s1,2 ¼ ða1 a3 þ a2 a4 Þ
The solution of the following equation is equivalent to qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 ffi
the intersection of a circle and a line, see Figure 17  ða1 a3 þ a2 a4 Þ2  a23 þ a24  a20
     
cos  a1 a3
a0 s ¼ ð42Þ
sin  a2 a4

provided that a21 þ a22 ¼ 1. The solutions are roots of

the following second-order polynomial

s2 þ 2ða1 a3 þ a2 a4 Þs þ a23 þ a24  a20 ¼ 0

s1,2 ¼ ða1 a3 þ a2 a4 Þ ð43Þ
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 ffi
 ða1 a3 þ a2 a4 Þ2  a23 þ a24  a20

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