Improvement of train-track interaction in turnouts by optimising the shape of crossing nose

Proper rail geometry in the crossing part is essential for reducing damages on the nose rail. A numerical optimisation approach to minimise impact damage and wear in the crossing panel by varying the nose rail shapeis presented in the paper.Theoptimisation formulatedas a weighted multi-objective problemis solved by adapting the Multipoint Approximation Method (MAM).Dynamic vehicle-turnout interaction as a function of crossing geometry is investigated using multi-body simulation method. The optimisation problem has been solved for different sets of weightcoefficients. Afterwards the robustness of the optimumdesigns has been analysed under different vehicle-track system conditions