An investigation into transient frictional rolling contact behaviour in a switch panel: validation and numerical simulation.

To improve the understanding of wheel/rail contact behaviour and damage mechanisms in turnouts, the 3D explicit finite element model of a wheelset rolling over a switch is introduced. This takes into account the arbitrary geometrical profile of the wheel-rail system, the relative motion between switch/stock rail, the nonlinear materials and actual moving postures of the wheelset. Precise frictional rolling contact solutions and dynamic response, including contact stress, surface shear stress, microslip, roll angle and lateral displacement, are all studied to obtain a better understanding of the wheel-rail frictional rolling contact behaviour in the switch panel. The simulated results are then verified through field tests on the Qingdao-Jinan line. The results indicate that the proposed explicit finite element method can be an efficient tool for solving the problems of frictional rolling contact behaviour and damage mechanism in switch panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]