A Modified Strip Method to Speed up the Calculation of Normal Stress between Wheel and Rail

Abstract

An important parameter influencing the power effect of a wheel on the rail is the size and shape of the contact area as well as the normal stress distribution which has the impact on it. Nowadays various methods are used to find out the size of contact areas and stresses [. It is necessary to mention the Hertz method as one of the oldest up to date used methods. It provides acceptable results for a large area in spite of many simplifications. Another computational procedure is the Kalker variation method [ or the strip method [ which is, thanks to its results, close to reality and is used in the following calculations. Nowadays, another group of calculation program systems (ANSYS, ADINA) is used in certain situations. The systems work on the base of finite elements method theory.