Joe Smak
Amtrak (retired)

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Wheel Rail Interaction Conference, this presentation will be a summary of improvements to wheels and rail during those 25 years. Beginning with wheels, the changes made to improve railroad wheels involve materials, designs, testing and manufacturing. Similarly, rail improvements will be discussed, focusing on topics such as design, manufacturing processes, chemical and mechanical material properties, testing and quality control. New technologies in both wheel and rail will be covered, as well as what the future needs of the railroads will be concerning wheels and rail.