Abstract: In order to study the phase difference between the circumferential polygons of wheels on the same axle, a coupled rigid-flexible vehicle-track dynamic model based on wheelset flexibility was established. The effects of phase difference variation on the wheel-rail dynamic response are analyzed under different operating speeds when wheels on the same axle exhibit polygons of the same order. Furthermore, its influence on the evolution of wheel wear behavior is explored. The results show that when there is a phase difference in the third-order wheel polygon, the vertical impact between the wheel and rail decreases as the phase difference increases, while the lateral impact intensifies. Additionally, the wheel-rail creep characteristics and wear power between the wheel and rail are significantly affected. Moreover, when there is a phase difference in the 3rd-order wheel polygon, the speed increase is more sensitive to the influence of the wheel-rail creep characteristics, increasing the wheel-rail wear power and exacerbating the formation of wheel polygons. When the 25th-order wheel polygon has a phase difference, especially around half the phase difference period, the fluctuation range of wheel-rail forces is considerable, significantly affecting the wheel-rail creep characteristics and resulting in the greatest fluctuation range of the wear power, thereby further aggravating the wear evolution of the wheel polygon. The existence of the phase difference aggravates the wear rate of the wheel on one side and changes the wear position of the wheel. It is recommended to repair it in time.

Key words: high-speed train, rigid-flexible coupling, wheel polygon, phase difference, wear