Analysis of wheel–rail interaction using FE software

In this article, research into the influence of interacting wheel and rail profiles on the distribution of contact zones and stresses is presented. The influence of contact forces on the deformation of rolling carload wheels and rails, and the influence of this deformation on the redistribution of the contact stresses is also investigated. The quasi-Hertz method as well as a finite element (FE) method were included as basis of mathematical simulation. With these tools, distributions of contact zones for different angles of attack of the wheelsets were defined. The problem was solved in three-dimensions. The offered technique to solve the contact problem has been used for the improvement of operating wheels.