Reproduction and validation of the dynamic rolling contact behavior of the bogie model in the curved section based on large-scale parallel finite element method

Abstract

Dynamic contact behavior occurs between wheels and rails while the train is running, it is an unsteady phenomenon and becomes more complicated when passing through a curved section. To examine the mechanism of this phenomenon, the authors have developed a dynamic rolling contact tool, called “Wheel/Rail rolling contact simulator,” using a large-scale parallel finite element method (FEM). This tool uses the Lagrange multiplier method to calculate the contact force in the normal direction between the wheel and the rail, and it is possible to obtain a precise contact force distribution within the contact surface. In this paper, we introduce a developed algorithm to make the finite element (FE) model of the curved section automatically. Then, we reproduce the rolling behavior in the curved section with one bogie model for validation of the developed numerical simulation method and discuss the behavior in the contact patch of each wheel. As a result, the calculated summation of the wheel load and lateral force of all wheels indicate a quantitatively good agreement in comparison to the initial condition. Moreover, the dynamic behavior of the bogie during the rolling from the straight section to the transition curve section has been qualitatively good. In the future, improvement of the boundary conditions such as the bottom of the rail, and the use of fine mesh on the wheel/rail contact surface model will be carried out to do the quantitative comparison with the actual phenomenon.

Keywords

• finite element method
• large-scale parallel computing
• contact mechanics
• wheel
• rail
• dynamic rolling contact
• contact patch
• wheel load
• lateral force
• tangential force