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
