Numerical simulation of rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue in the switch panel of railway turnouts

Author(s):  
Xiaochuan Ma ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Jingmang Xu ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
Linya Liu

Considering the complex characteristics of the track structure in railway turnouts, it is difficult and also expensive to experimentally study rail damages; therefore, numerical methods are an effective alternative. This study presents a numerical method to simulate rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue in the switch panel of railway turnouts. This method includes simulation of the vehicle–turnout wheel–rail dynamic interaction, analysis of the wheel–rail multipoint non-Hertzian rolling contact that considers the relative motion between the switch and stock rails, and calculation of the accumulated rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue. The accumulated rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue after the vehicles passed a turnout switch panel 80 times (the average number of vehicles running on the Chinese high-speed railway lines per day) in the through route with facing move was simulated based on this procedure. The result showed that the maximum surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue damage of the switch rail and the stock rail was 1.57 × 10−2 and 0.62 × 10−2, respectively. Surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue in the switch rail mainly occurred at the gauge angle, and in the stock rail it mainly occurred at the center of the rail. In addition, the influence of track parameters (rail inclination, track gauge, and friction coefficient) is analyzed. The friction coefficient influenced the rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue. When the coefficient exceeded 0.3 in particular, the rail rolling contact fatigue damage increased sharply. Hence, suitable friction control measures should be taken during rail maintenance in order to mitigate the rail surface-initiated rolling contact fatigue damage, e.g. by keeping the wheel–rail friction coefficient below 0.3.

2013 ◽  
Vol 395-396 ◽  
pp. 845-851
Author(s):  
Xiao Feng Qin ◽  
Da Le Sun ◽  
Li Yang Xie

In this paper, the distribution of different critical stresses, which were used in previous correlation articles for the assessment of subsurface rolling contact fatigue damage, was analyzed. The rationality of orthogonal shear stress was selected as the key stress controlling the subsurface rolling contact fatigue damage was clarified. Base on the linear fatigue damage accumulative theory and the modification equation for the range of asymmetrical stress, the influence of friction on subsurface rolling contact fatigue damage was studied. The results show that the subsurface orthogonal shear stress is a completely symmetrical stress when the friction coefficient is zero, while it is an asymmetrical stress with considering the friction. The stress ratio of subsurface orthogonal shear stress and subsurface rolling contact fatigue damage is increased with the increasing of friction.


2010 ◽  
Vol 654-656 ◽  
pp. 2499-2502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan Woo Lee ◽  
Seok Jin Kwon

Wheels of the railway vehicle play the important role for driving train through wheel-rail interaction. Especially wheel profile is one of the most important design factors to rule the running stability and safety of train. Accordingly, the control of rolling contact fatigue-related defects is an ongoing concern for both safety and cost reasons. This process is referred to as ratcheting. Wear of wheel and rail surfaces occur due to a mixture of adhesive, abrasive and corrosive processes. In wheel/rail systems with little wear, such failure is manifested by the appearance of closely spaced micro-cracks. In the present paper, a evaluation of surface defects of wheel and rail for Korean high-speed railway. The main research application is the wheel-rail maintenance of Korea high-speed train.


2010 ◽  
Vol 154-155 ◽  
pp. 1131-1136
Author(s):  
Wen Zhong ◽  
Jia Jie Hu ◽  
Cai Yun Wang ◽  
Peng Shen ◽  
Qi Yue Liu

The rolling tests of railway rail were performed using a JD-1 wheel/rail simulation facility without any lubricant. The failure behaviour of rail rollers with different materials, was investigated in detail by examining wear volume and wear scar using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that rail material with a high hardness appears less plastic flow after rolling test. When the plastic flow is small, the wear resistance of material appears better. However, the crack propagation is more significant and fatigue damage is more severe. There is a mutual competitive relationship between wear and surface fatigue crack. A high wear rate can reduce rolling contact fatigue damage by removing constantly surface cracks. The analysis shows that U71Mn rail is more suitable for the high-speed railway.


Wear ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 203993
Author(s):  
Yuanchen Zeng ◽  
Dongli Song ◽  
Weihua Zhang ◽  
Junhai Hu ◽  
Bin Zhou ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Guanzhen Zhang ◽  
Chunpeng Liu ◽  
Si Wu ◽  
Sa Zhao ◽  
Bin Zhang

Abstract This work investigates the effect of abnormal microstructure on rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage of high-speed railway wheels under service and the formation mechanism of abnormal microstructure by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nano indentation and laser-induced break down spectroscopy. Results show that there are large amounts of upper bainite in the wheel tread, which destroyed the uniformity of the microstructures of the wheel matrix. The bainite is composed of ferrite with high density of dislocations and short bar-shaped cementite. The bainite exhibited higher hardness and elasticity but lower plasticity than the matrix microstructure. The incongruity of plastic deformation between upper bainite and matrix microstructures will lead to stress concentration at boundary of the microstructures, thus accelerating the RCF crack initiation and propagation. The formation of upper bainite is caused by carbon segregation. Segregation of carbon element will make the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curve shift to the right significantly, thus increasing the probability of bainite transformation in segregation zone at higher cooling rate. Therefore, large amounts of upper bainite were formed at wheel tread.


2016 ◽  
Vol 703 ◽  
pp. 172-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Chen Shi ◽  
Masaya Orito ◽  
Yuji Kashima ◽  
Koshiro Mizobe ◽  
Katsuyuki Kida

Considering the advantages on light weight, low friction coefficient, high corrosion resistance and electric insulation, polymer bearings are widely used under certain environments, where the toughness like metal bearings is not necessary. In our previous study, it was concluded that the main reason for PEEK thrust bearings failure in water was flaking due to surface crack propagation. In the present study, crack observations were made on groove surfaces and cross sections along both radial and rolling directions in order to find the relation between cracks and flaking failures.


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