BS EN 15302:2021

What is BS EN 15302 about?  

BS EN 15302 specifies definitions and evaluation methods for wheel-rail contact geometry parameters influencing the vehicle running dynamic behaviour: 

• The rolling radius difference between the two wheels of a wheelset (Δr-function) which serves as a basis for all further calculations 
• The equivalent conicity function from which are derived 
• A single equivalent conicity value for a specified amplitude which is relevant for the assessment of vehicle running stability on straight track and in very large radius curves according to EN 14363 
• The nonlinearity parameter which characterizes the shape of this function and is related to the vehicle behaviour particularly in the speed range close to the running stability limit 
• The rolling radii coefficient which is used to describe the theoretical radial steering capability of a wheelset in a curved track. 

BS EN 15302 also includes minimum requirements for the measurement of wheel and rail profiles as well as of the parameters needed for the transformation into a common coordinate system of right- and left-hand profiles. 

NOTE: BS EN 15302 does not define limits for the wheel-rail contact geometry parameters and gives no tolerances for the rail profile and the wheel profile to achieve acceptable results. 

Who is BS EN 15302 for? 

BS EN 15302 on railway applications is relevant to: 

• Railway engineer  
• Rail wheel manufacturers 
• Railway product and design engineers 
• Mechanical engineers 

Why should you use BS EN 15302? 

Wheel-rail contact plays an essential role in rail vehicle systems, carrying the vehicle load, guiding the vehicle along the track curve, and allowing for traction and braking. BS EN 15302 includes definitions and evaluation methods for wheel-rail contact geometry parameters. 

BS EN 15302 describes the accurate calculation methods to achieve comparable results and ensure the proper implementation of the described algorithms. 

BS EN 15302 provides the knowledge of the shapes of the wheel and rail profiles to be assessed as well as their relative position including wheel back-to-back distance, wheel diameters, track gauge and the track plane (rail inclination, wheel inclination due to axle bending) to check the vehicle behaviour on track. 

Altogether, with BS EN 15302 you can incorporate best industry practices for operational efficiency of the overall functioning of railway system. 

What’s changed since the last update?  

BS EN 15302:2021 supersedes EN 15302:2008+A1:2010. BS EN 15302:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to EN 15302:2008+A1:2010. These include: 

• Extension of the Scope 
• Introduction of new wheel-rail contact geometry parameters  
• Hints for plausibility checking of measured profiles 
• Improvement of the description of the reference profiles 
• New assessment of the complete process