The influence of high temperature due to high adhesion condition on rail damage

Abstract In wheel–rail contact, the locomotive adhesion variable characterizes the capability of the locomotive to convert available friction into traction at the interface. Recently developed AC (Alternating Current) drive induces a higher adhesion level compared to DC (Direct Current) drive. This can significantly affect the wheel–rail contact conditions such as high contact temperature due to the frictional rolling, wear and damage initiation of the rails. The aims of this paper are to determine the temperature rise due to high adhesion contact and the thermal influence on the wear and rail life. Three-dimensional (3D) elasto-plastic finite element model was applied to evaluate the growth of temperature, residual stress and strain. The numerical model employed the moving heat source code developed by Goldak within ANSYS/LS-DYNA. The mechanical and thermal properties of the rail material were governed by temperature. The influence of multi-passes from multiple wheels attached to the locomotives on one point of the rail was also taken into account. The results indicated that after six wheel passes, the temperature due to the high adhesion condition was sufficiently high (723 °C) to form the white etching layer (WEL) known to be associated to the rolling contact fatigue (RCF) on the rail surface. Moreover the rail material would be softened by high temperature, which resulted in the acceleration of wear process. Finally the results of thermal stress and strain from FE model were used as input to Kapoor׳s ratcheting model to determine the number of wheel rolling cycles leading to rail damage.

[1]  I. P. Milroy,et al.  Performance of AC diesel-electric locomotives in typical Australian tasks , 1996, Proceedings of the 1996 ASME/IEEE Joint Railroad Conference.

[2]  Jonas W. Ringsberg,et al.  Life prediction of rolling contact fatigue crack initiation , 2001 .

[3]  Klaus Knothe,et al.  A comparison of analytical and numerical methods for the calculation of temperatures in wheel/rail contact , 2002 .

[4]  Hans-Jörg Fecht,et al.  Nanostructure formation on the surface of railway tracks , 2001 .

[5]  Wenyi Yan,et al.  Applicability of the Hertz contact theory to rail-wheel contact problems , 2000 .

[6]  A. K. Tieu,et al.  A Tool to Estimate the Wheel/Rail Contact and Temperature Rising Under Dry, Wet and Oily Conditions , 2014 .

[7]  A. Kapoor,et al.  Modelling rail wear transition and mechanism due to frictional heating , 2012 .

[8]  Yung-Chuan Chen,et al.  Elastic-Plastic Wheel-Rail Thermal Contact on Corrugated Rails During Wheel Braking , 2009 .

[9]  Wenyi Yan,et al.  Thermal stresses for frictional contact in wheel-rail systems , 1997 .

[10]  Windarta,et al.  Prediction of Contact Temperature on Interaction between Rail and Wheel Materials Using Pin-on-Disc Method , 2012 .

[11]  U. Olofsson,et al.  Mapping rail wear regimes and transitions , 2004 .

[12]  B. Eghbali,et al.  Pressure induced martensite transformation in plain carbon steel , 2011 .

[13]  B. Karlsson,et al.  Microstructural evaluation and interpretation of the mechanically and thermally affected zone under railway wheel flats , 1999 .

[14]  J. Beynon,et al.  Rolling contact fatigue of white etching layer: Part 2. Numerical results , 2007 .

[15]  Roger Lundén.  Contact region fatigue of railway wheels under combined mechanical rolling pressure and thermal brake loading , 1991 .

[16]  Zili Li,et al.  The solution of frictional wheel–rail rolling contact with a 3D transient finite element model: Validation and error analysis , 2011 .

[17]  W. Daniel,et al.  Surface damage on new AS60 rail caused by wheel slip , 2012 .

[18]  H. Yoo,et al.  Numerical calculation of temperature in the wheel–rail flange contact and implications for lubricant choice , 2010 .

[19]  P. B. Kosasih,et al.  FE method to predict damage formation on curved track for various worn status of wheel/rail profiles , 2015 .

[20]  Wei Li,et al.  Thermo-elastic–plastic finite element analysis of wheel/rail sliding contact , 2011 .

[21]  F. Franklin,et al.  Modelling thermal effects in ratcheting-led wear and rolling contact fatigue , 2008 .

[22]  Seok-Jin Kwon,et al.  Numerical stress analysis and rolling contact fatigue of White Etching Layer on rail steel , 2011 .

[23]  A. Kapoor,et al.  Modelling the Effect of Steady State Wheel Temperature on Rail Wear , 2012, Tribology Letters.

[24]  John H. Beynon,et al.  Rolling contact fatigue of white etching layer: Part 1: Crack morphology , 2007 .

[25]  Ajay Kapoor,et al.  Plastic ratchetting as a mechanism of metallic wear , 1994, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[26]  K. D. Vo,et al.  Comparisons of stress, heat and wear generated by AC versus DC locomotives under diverse operational conditions , 2015 .

[27]  Francis Franklin,et al.  Modelling wear and crack initiation in rails , 2007 .

[28]  Constantine Tarawneh,et al.  Thermal models of railroad wheels and bearings , 2010 .

[29]  Klaus Knothe,et al.  Thermal stresses and shakedown in wheel/rail contact , 2003 .

[30]  B. Karlsson,et al.  Modelling of heat conduction and phase transformations during sliding of railway wheels , 2002 .

[31]  K. D. Vo,et al.  A 3D dynamic model to investigate wheel–rail contact under high and low adhesion , 2014 .

[32]  Gerhard Poll,et al.  Wear of wheel-rail surfaces☆ , 1986 .

[33]  Carol A. Rubin,et al.  Thermal-Mechanical Modelling of the Rolling-Plus-Sliding With Frictional Heating of a Locomotive Wheel , 1995 .

[34]  John A. Williams,et al.  Wear modelling: analytical, computational and mapping: a continuum mechanics approach , 1999 .

[35]  R. F. Harder,et al.  Transient heat partition factor for a sliding railcar wheel , 2006 .

[36]  Klaus Knothe,et al.  Determination of temperatures for sliding contact with applications for wheel-rail systems , 1995 .

[37]  V. Popov.  Coulomb’s Law of Friction , 2010 .

[39]  A. Myslinski,et al.  Thermoelastic wheel–rail contact problem with elastic graded materials , 2011 .

[40]  J. Beynon,et al.  Prediction of fatigue crack initiation for rolling contact fatigue , 2000 .

[41]  Rob Dwyer-Joyce,et al.  Temperature in a twin-disc wheel/rail contact simulation , 2006 .

[42]  Tore V Vernersson,et al.  Thermally induced roughness of tread braked railway wheels , 1999 .

[43]  R. Sriraman,et al.  Thermo-mechanical finite element analysis of a rail wheel , 1999 .

[44]  J. Goldak,et al.  A new finite element model for welding heat sources , 1984 .

[45]  Ulf Olofsson,et al.  Relating contact temperature and wear transitions in a wheel–rail contact☆ , 2011 .