Three Dimensional Finite Element Analysis on Railway Rail

Abstract

A prediction of fracture risk on railway rail using finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out in this paper. A three dimensional model was developed using CATIA to investigate the mechanical stress distribution under various loadings. The analysis was performed using ANSYS software to determine the stress response under loading of rolling contact, braking and cornering. In this study, the interaction between rail and wheel at some point was analyzed under static loading. The fracture risk via safety factor was then calculated based on the fracture strength of the wheel's material. The results showed that the braking load condition contributes to the lowest possibility of fracture on the surface of rail compared to the rolling contact and cornering loads.