Contact-impact stress analysis of rail joint region using the dynamic finite element method

The finite element code ANSYS/LS-DYNA is used to simulate the wheel/rail contact-impact behavior at rail joint region. The implicit and explicit finite element methods have been couple to analyze wheel/rail impact process. In the FE simulation, a material model with linear kinematic hardening was used. The influences of axle load and train speed on contact forces, the stresses and strains in the railhead are investigated in detail. From obtained results, it is found that the axle load has more great effect on the above parameters during impacting at the constant speed. However, the effect of train speed is relatively weak. The study provides a method and useful datum for the further research on fatigue and wear of railhead and improving the rail joint mode.