Elastic-Plastic Finite-Element Analysis of Repeated, Two-Dimensional Wheel-Rail Rolling Contact under Time-Dependent Load

A study was performed using a finite-element model to obtain stresses, strains, and deformations for repeated, two-dimensional rolling contact of a locomotive driving wheel and a rail under time-dependent load. An advanced cyclic plasticity model was used with a commercial finite element code via a material subroutine. The time-dependent load was considered a harmonic variation of the wheel-rail normal contact force. The normal contact pressure was assumed to follow the Hertzian distribution and the tangential force followed the Carter distribution. A wavy profile is formed on the running surface of the rail subjected to the harmonic variation of the normal (vertical) contact force. The developed wavelength of the profile corresponds to the frequency of the normal contact force for the actual train speed. The creepage or rolling-sliding condition plays an important role in the residual strains and deformations, but its influence on the residual stresses is insignificant. The residual stresses at the surface decrease with increasing rolling passes and gradually tend to stabilize. The residual strains and surface displacements increase with increasing rolling cycle, but the increases in residual strain and surface displacement per rolling pass (ratchetting rate) decay. The residual stresses, strains, and deformations near the wave trough of the residual wavy deformation are larger than those near the wave crest. For any given creepage including zero value, when the number of rolling passes increases, the surface depth of the wavy-deformed surface increases but the ratchetting rate decays. The results are useful in investigating the influence of plastic deformation on rail corrugation.