Error Estimation in Wheel-Rail Normal Contact Area Measurements Using Pressure Sensitive Film

Pressure measurement films are an efficient tool to validate the shape and size of wheel-rail contact patches predicted by numerical simulations. However, accurate measurements are only possible if the alteration caused by the presence of the film between contact partners is considered. This work investigates the effect of several influential factors on the resulting deviation and presents a procedure to estimate the measurement error in wheel-rail contact.