A finite element modelling approach for the numerical analysis of switch rail contact loading and cyclic profile degradation

Abstract

A dynamic 3D finite element model for the calculation of profile degradation in the switch panel is presented. The model includes the contact between wheel and rail, as well as the contact between switch rail and stock rail to allow an elastic relative movement between the two rails. Break-outs of the switch rail tip can be facilitated by this relative movement and the stresses and strains at this interface are calculated. The profile degradation of the switch rail due to contact loading between wheel flange and switch rail is numerically simulated considering the cyclic plastic deformation of the rail material. The sliding wear is evaluated separately and superimposed to the geometrical change caused by the plastic deformation.

Experimental and Numerical Visualisation of Subsurface Rail Deformation in a Full-Scale Wheel–Rail Test Rig

“…Table 3 shows the parameters used for the three tested materials R260, R350HT, and R400HT, taken and modified from [30,31]. A more detailed explanation of the material model can be found in [32]. The computation time for the simulated 1400 cycles for each material was approximately 10 days using 12 CPUs on a high-performance computer (HPC) (2x AMD EPYC 7352 24-Core, 256 GB RAM).…”