Influence of wear on the distribution of pressure and the state of tension at wheel-rail interface

Abstract

Since no effective experimental approaches have been proposed to assess state of stress and distribution of pressures at the wheel and rail contact interface to date, numerical calculation methods are known as an alternative to approximate modelling of wheel-rail interaction. In this paper, a numerical procedure is proposed based on the finite element method of the complex tensions state on wheel-rail contact. This study includes the distribution of pressures and tensions on wheel-rail contact system with new and worn profiles, using a finite element modeling (FEM). Using a model of isotropic elastic-plastic material was obtained a FE model that can obtain the distribution of pressures and tensions at the wheel-rail interface for the real surfaces that are in contact, this model is necessary for any tribological study that requires data on the state of stress and pressure only by introducing input data: geometric characteristics, Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio, Tangent Modulus, Yield Strength, load on the wheel, lateral shift of wheelset.