Optimising the rail profile for reducing wheel-rail creepage and contact stress in high-speed railway curves

Excessive wheel-rail creepage on high-speed railway curves causes critical issues such as rolling contact fatigue cracks, and material micro-structural transformation, severely compromising train operational stability and structural service life. Rail profile optimization is recognized as the most effective method for reducing wheel-rail creepage and contact stress, making the design of rail grinding profiles critically important. To address these challenges, a novel Adaptive African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (AAVOA) is proposed, which enhances the original AVOA through dynamic energy control and adaptive parameter mechanisms. A parametric rail profile optimization approach based on circular arc parameters was implemented to generate smooth tangential circular arc profiles. Optimization was performed by taking parameters significantly affecting curve negotiation performance and contact fatigue damage including wheel-rail equivalent conicity, contact stress, and rolling difference, as the objective functions, and optimizing seven key geometric parameters derived from the 60N rail profile. Simulation results demonstrated that the optimized rail profile significantly reduces wheel-rail creepage and contact stress, enhancing vehicle operational stability and curve negotiation performance. This provides a robust theoretical basis and practical approach for rail grinding profile design and maintenance practices in high-speed railway systems.