The research results of wheel polygon of rail transit trains in China and abroad in recent years were summarized,the main factors and mechanisms leading to the formation of wheel polygon were analyzed,the reasons for the difference in high-order wheel polygons between electric multiple units(EMUs)and metro vehicles were investigated,the main causes of the difference were summarized.The suppression measures for wheel polygon were discussed,and the generation and development of vehicle-track coupling dynamics model were summarized.At the same time,the main results of the simulation analysis of vehicle-track coupling dynamics were presented,and a new research direction was proposed,which considered the fatigue damage of vehicle-track system components under the periodic wear of wheel-rail such as wheel polygon.Analysis results show that the initial defect of wheel,self-excitation vibration of wheel-rail friction,stick-slip vibration of wheel-rail,P2 resonance of wheel-rail system,inherent mode vibration of wheelset,wheel diameter,and resonance caused by bogie components can cause wheel polygon.The wheel polygons of metro vehicles are mainly caused by the P2 resonance of the wheel-rail system,while the multiple high-order wheel polygons of high-speed EMUs are generally not directly caused by the P2 resonance.Improving the quality of wheel turning,increasing the abrasive block,enhancing the hardness of wheel tread,strengthening the damping of fastener,and applying variable speed running can restrain the development of wheel polygon.However,according to the formation mechanism of wheel polygon,the initial defect of wheel is the origin,and controlling the initial defect of wheel can fundamentally inhibits the formation and development of wheel polygon.From the perspective of feasibility,installing the abrasive block is the most ideal measure.When the wheel has a high-order polygon,the wheel-rail excitation frequency will increase significantly,and the range distribution is wider.When the excitation frequencies are close to the inherent vibration frequencies of some parts of vehicle,the resonance is easily triggered,which will lead to a significant increase in its dynamic stress and affect its fatigue life.Therefore,when the fatigue damage of the main bearing parts of vehicle-track system is analyzed,adverse factors such as random track irregularities and periodic wear of wheel-rail should be considered.It can be seen that the existing research results basically reveal the formation mechanism of wheel polygon,and feasible suppression measures are proposed.However,since the train operation environment is uncertain,there are many related factors in the vehicle-track coupling system,and the analysis process is inevitably different from the actual situation.Therefore,further in-depth research is still needed.1 tab,7 figs,100 refs.