Thermo-elastic–plastic finite element analysis of wheel/rail sliding contact

A finite element method (FEM) is used to study thermal-elastic–plastic deformation and residual stress after wheel sliding on a rail. The consideration of sliding contact between the wheel and the rail is restricted to a two dimensional contact problem. The repeated sliding contact process is simulated by translating the normal contact pressure and the tangential traction across the rail surface. The normal contact pressure is idealized as the Hertzian distribution, and the tangential force is modeled by Coulomb model. The heat-convection and radiation between the rail and the ambient, the material mechanical and thermal coefficients changing with temperature are taken into account. The results indicate that the wheel/rail friction thermal load has a significant influence on the residual deformation, plastic strain and residual stress at the rail surface.