Rail surface fatigue assessment using numerical simulation of the concurrence of short crack propagation and wear

Abstract

Over the past few years, rail head checking have been found on the gauge corner of heat-treated rails. Simulations were carried out of a vehicle running through curves using multibody-dynamics simulation software to comprehend wheel loads, lateral forces and contact positions of the wheel and the rail etc., occurring during these runs. The results of the simulation were input into a finite element analysis algorithm of wheel / rail rolling contact to obtain the stress and traction distributions on the railhead. Finally, the concurrence of short crack propagation and wear on the railhead was simulated to study the effect of the curve radius and grade of steel used for the rails.