Estimation of lateral track irregularities from on-board measurement: Effect of wheel-rail contact model

In the paper, a frequency domain method for the estimation of lateral track irregularities is presented. The method is based on measurements performed on-board a vehicle negotiating the line at service speed and on model-based techniques for the post processing of measurements. Two levels of complexity of the vehicle model are considered in the paper, putting in evidence the effect of wheel-rail contact model on the accuracy of the irregularity estimation.