Rolling contact stress states of two contact points on curved track

A three-dimensional finite element model (3D FEM) of wheel/high rail rolling contact on curved track has been introduced in this article. The elastic-plastic model from FEM code ANSYS/LS-DYNA included a whole wheel, 680 mm of the high rail and some sub-components of the track (railpads, sleepers, and ballast). Furthermore, the rail was canted as in practical situation and the influences of angle of attack (AOA) were also investigated in detail. The obtained results have demonstrated that two-point contact pattern can potentially appear as the train enters a curved track. The stress states on two contact zones showed that the maximum stress at the rail gauge was higher than that at the rail head. Besides, the higher AOA could lead to a higher stress magnitude, especially at the rail gauge where damages appear frequently. This study can provide useful information for a future research on surface damage mechanism of the rail of a curved track