Fatigue analysis of railway wheel using a multiaxial strain‐based critical‐plane index

Abstract

A fatigue damage model to assess the development of subsurface fatigue cracks in railway wheels is presented in this paper. A 3‐dimensional finite element model (FEM) is constructed to simulate repeated cycles of contact loading between a railway wheel and a rail. The computational approach includes a hard‐contact over‐closure relationship and an elastoplastic material model with isotropic and kinematic hardening. Results from the simulation are used in a multiaxial critical‐plane fatigue damage analysis. The employed strain‐based critical‐plane fatigue damage approach is based on Fatemi‐Socie fatigue index that takes into account the non‐proportional and out‐of‐phase nature of the multiaxial state of stress occurs when a railway wheel rolls on a rail. It predicts fatigue‐induced micro‐crack nucleation at a depth of about 3.7 mm beneath the wheel tread, as well as the crack plane growth orientation which indicates the possible failure pattern. Additionally, the influence of various factors such as contribution of normal stresses, higher wheel load, and material model have been investigated.

Finite element and experimental study on multiaxial fatigue analysis of rail clip failures

“…The physical basis of the Fatemi-Socie method is that the fatigue life of the material will be reduced when tensile stresses normal to the plane of the crack are present because they reduce the friction forces acting on the irregular shapes of crack surfaces. 18 The initiation process is dominated by the maximum shear strain amplitude on the critical plane. The additional cyclic hardening can result in a short life because of the out-ofphase loading effect, which is taken into account by yield strength normalized maximum normal stress perpendicular to the critical plane during the loading cycle.…”

Application of Life-Dependent Material Parameters to Fatigue Life Prediction under Multiaxial and Non-Zero Mean Loading

“…Non-monotonic alternation of stress states may lead to permanent changes in the structure of materials and is often the cause of the limited functionality of machines and engineering structures [1][2][3][4]. The mechanisms leading to fatigue failure of materials are complex and depend on many factors [5].…”

Evaluation of temperature‐sensitive fatigue crack propagation of a high‐speed railway wheel rim material

“…The ability to resist fatigue crack propagation in railway wheels has a profound effect for the safety of high‐speed railway vehicles . For high‐speed railway wheels, microcracks can typically be found in the subsurface region of the wheel rim, located 5 to 25 mm below the wheel tread . This is because a large amount of fatigue damage typically appears on both the surface and subsurface of railway wheels under rolling contact fatigue between the wheel and the rail in the running time.…”

“…1,2 For high-speed railway wheels, microcracks can typically be found in the subsurface region of the wheel rim, located 5 to 25 mm below the wheel tread. 3,4 This is because a large amount of fatigue damage typically appears on both the surface and subsurface of railway wheels under rolling contact fatigue between the wheel and the rail in the running time. However, most of the fatigue damage on the wheel tread is worn off, and microcracks remain in the subsurface region of the wheel rim.…”