Distributed Numerical Calculations of Wear in the Wheel-Rail Contact

We study numerical aspects of wear problems in railway mechanics. A short overview of the needed components — a dynamical vehicle/track model, contact geometry and contact mechanics — is given to demonstrate the complexity of the problem. An algorithm for the integration of the domain evolution equation describing wear in the long time scale is presented and discussed. Solutions for simple choices of the model components are studied. Finally, ways to couple the most advanced available models via internet programming are demonstrated on the basis of a vehicle model due to Meinke in a co-simulation with our own geometry program.