Dynamic finite element analysis of the wheel : rail interaction adjacent to the insulated rail joints

Through a 3D dynamic wheel/rail rolling contact model, the contact impact at the wheel/rail interface adjacent to insulated rail joints (IRJ) is reported in this paper. An elasto-plastic finite element method based on explicit algorithm is employed to simulate the dynamic rolling contact impact phenomenon from which numerical results are determined. It is shown that the explicit algorithm provides appropriate solution only when steady state static solution obtained from the standard implicit algorithm is imported into it. Contact impact force history as well as contact pressure distribution parameters are investigated. The results indicate that in the vicinity of the IRJ, the contact pressure distribution is very different from the zones away from the IRJ. The numerical results are compared with the classical Hertz theory and conclusions are drawn.