In this paper a two-degree-of-freedom model representing the sprung mass and the sloshing cargo in a vehicle is proposed to study the dynamic interaction of a sloshing cargo and the carrying vehicle, to simulate the dynamic wheel forces on the rails as a result of lateral perturbations derived from turnings along the railway path and the resultant cargo sloshing. The use of the Fourth- and Third- Power Laws to assess the potential effect of sloshing forces on the life expectancy of rails reveals that differences in rail damage can occur along the rail length, with hot spots suffering as much as 34% more damage than other parts of the rail. It is also found that the damage increases with the square of the speed, and that sloshing damping can reduce the rail damage to one-half when the traveling speed is 70 km/h. Further research is suggested, to validate the model and to take into account rail unevenness.

Keywords: Railways, Sloshing cargo, Contact stresses, Fourth-Power Law, Track geometry

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