Almost every one of us has travelled on a train more than once, but very few people pause to think about the intricacies of the mechanism behind rail travel. There are so many fascinating facts that define how a train works and one of them is how the wheels of the train never slip on the smooth railway tracks. Although there have been accidents where trains have derailed, it is generally due to some technical fault and the wheels do not, in general cases, slip. If you have wondered about the reason behind this, we are here to tell you the reason.
The main reason behind it is friction. A chemical is also used to prevent it from slipping. Running on a flat road becomes challenging for a vehicle with rubber tyres. It has a typical coefficient of friction that lies between 0.7 and 0.9. The average coefficient of friction in the train, however, is substantially lower than this.
Flat wheels move down the track with a standard coefficient of 0.4, moving very smoothly. Therefore, we can conclude that in the majority of parameters, the force applied by the engine is kept below the limit of friction force. The engine does not slip as a result of this.
As a result, when driving a car, bike, or truck on unpaved roads, the wheel slips and frequently gets stuck in the mud during the rainy season. The effectiveness of the vehicle and the force of friction is the main causes of this. The vehicle’s downward force is considerably less as a result of the body’s upward force. It is typical for the wheel to slip under such circumstances.
During rains, a train slows down. This occurs because the coefficient of friction drops to 0.1. Numerous instruments are installed in the engine to boost it. As a result, during the rainy season, the train’s speed decreases. In addition, the sandbox above the engine’s wheel starts gently descending onto the wheel to keep it from slipping.
Read all the Latest Auto News here