Influence of rail temperature on braking efficiency in railway vehicles

The data presented were obtained experimentally using a 1:20 scale physical model of a vehicle and a railway track, installed in the Dynamics and Vibrations Laboratory of the Autonomous University of Querétaro (Mexico). Data Collection Methodology: Rail Thermal Conditioning: Straight segments of steel rail (5 mm diameter) were heated in a controlled manner using Nichrome wire glued to their outer sides. A direct current (DC) source supplied different voltages to reach the target temperatures: • 28.5°C: Room temperature (control). • 40.0°C: Approximately 1.6 A. • 49.9°C: Approximately 2.4 A. • 71.0°C: Approximately 4.0 A. The temperature was verified and recorded with a Fluke T1105 infrared camera. Directly measured dynamic parameters: Vehicle and wheel speed: These were measured using a rotary encoder (DC5-24V model, 600 pulses per revolution) coupled to the drive wheel and an optical sensor. Three operating speeds: • 0.75 m/s. • 1.00 m/s. • 1.30 m/s. Dataset structure: The resulting dataset comprises 12 experimental cases, resulting from combining the four rail temperatures with the three test speeds (0.75, 1.00, and 1.30 m/s). For each case, the dataset includes the measured and calculated values of: speed, COF, braking time, braking distance, maximum slip, and peak current.