The effect of proximity of a rail end in elastic-plastic contact between a wheel and a rail

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of a free rail end on the contact stress distribution near the rail end by employing elastic-plastic finite element methods. The contact elements were used to simulate the interaction between a wheel and a rail. A plane strain model was used in this study. Variations in contact stress fields at various contact points near the rail end were compared. The availability of the Hertz contact theory in the region near the rail end was also investigated. The numerical results indicated that the contact stress distributions around the rail end are sensitive to the contact distance. The location of the maximum von Mises stress was shifted to the contact surface as the contact point moves close to the rail end. Results also show that the plastic zone size and the von Mises stress are increased gradually and extend to the rail end as the contact point moves near the rail end. A higher stress, larger deflection and serious plastic deformation occurring at the rail end may lead to deterioration and delamination at the rail end.