Singularities of rotationally symmetric solutions of boundary value problems for the Lamé equations

We apply the theory of elliptic boundary value problems in non-smooth domains with conical points to rotationally symmetric solutions of boundary value problems for the Lamé equations. The resulting expansion involves singular vector-functions which, in turn, depend on a parameter, α. We here present equations which determine the values of α for either stress-free or Dirichlet boundary conditions. We give a numerical algorithm whereby α can be computed and present some plots of the values obtained. The singular vector-functions are given explicitly and we present equations for the computation of the coefficients of the expansion.Wir wenden die Theorie elliptischer Randwertprobleme in nichtglatten Gebieten mit konischen Punkten auf rotationssymmetrische Lösungen von Randwertproblemen für Lamé-Gleichungen an. Die resultierende Entwicklung zieht singuläre Vektor-Funktionen nach sich, die dann wieder von einem Parameter α abhängen. Wir stellen hier Gleichungen vor, die die Werte von α entweder für unbelastete oder für Dirichletsche Rand-Bedingungen bestimmen. Wir geben einen numerischen Algorithmus an, mit dem α berechnet werden kann und bringen einige Grafiken für die erhaltenen Werte. Die singulären Vektor-Funktionen werden explizit gegeben, und wir stellen Gleichungen zur Berechnung der Entwicklungskoeffizienten vor

Towards a Standard Approach for Wear Testing of Wheel and Rail Materials

Examination of the literature for wear testing methodologies for wheel and rail material reveals that while only a few different techniques have been used there is a wide variety in exactly how the tests have been conducted and the resulting data reported. This makes comparison of the data very difficult. This work, carried out as part of the International Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) which is aiming to bring together wheel/rail interface researchers from across the world to collate data and knowledge to try to solve some of the common problems that are faced, has examined the different approaches used and attempted to pull together all the good practice used into a test specification for future twin disc testing for wheel and rail materials. Adoption of the method will allow data to be compared reliably and eventually enable data to be compiled into wear maps to use as input, for example, to multi-body dynamics simulation wear prediction tools