Fatigue Analysis on Wheel considering Contact Effect Using FEM Method

Abstract

The FEM model of whole wheel system, including wheel, axle, and track, was created by using solid element in ABAQUS. Stress distribution characteristic under self-weight condition was achieved when contact effect is considered. Then, material failure criterion was introduced to analyze the fatigue life of wheel system, which is influenced by surface processing and thermolizing. Meanwhile, fatigue distribution characteristic of all parts in the wheel structure system was also analyzed. The results show that the track’s destructiveness is the most serious and has the shortest life, followed by the axle and the wheel. When the safety factor is set to be 2, the destructiveness of the three parts is all more serious and the fatigue life is all shorter. Hot rolling and shot blasting have an unfavorable influence on fatigue life of wheel system.