Effects of insulated rail joint on the wheel/rail contact stresses under the condition of partial slip

Abstract The effect of insulated rail joint (IRJ) on the wheel–rail normal and tangential contact stress distribution is studied using the finite element method. In this investigation, contact elements are used to simulate the interaction between wheel and rail. Numerical simulations are used to explore the effects of contact distances and materials of IRJ on the contact stress and the maximum shear stress distributions. Numerical results show that the presence of IRJ might significantly affect the wheel–rail contact stress distributions. The results also indicate that Carter's theory is no longer effective in predicting the tangential stress distribution of the wheel–rail contact near an IRJ. The tangential stress causes the location of maximum shear stress shifted toward the rail surface as the wheel–rail contact point moves closer to the IRJ. The maximum shear stress value is more sensitive to a braked force than to a tractive force as the wheel–rail contact point is within the IRJ region.

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