Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Iranian Journal of Manufacturing Engineering

Stress analysis of the railway turnout crossing using finite element method and life estimation with multi-axial fatigue criteria

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mostafa Sabbaghi 1
Mohammad Ali Saeimi-Sadigh 1
Moosa Sajed 1
Sadegh Ebadi 2
1 Mechanical Engineering Department, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
2 R&D Center, Iran Rail Industries Development Co. (IRID), Tabriz, Iran
10.22034/ijme.2024.480010.2012
Abstract
In the rail system, the turnout crossing is prone to the growth of fatigue cracks and failure due to its strong contact with the train wheel. The intense contacts during the passage of the wheel cause significant stresses on the rail surface which cause fatigue damage. This is a numerical study using the finite element method on the central piece of the UIC60 R300 mono-block, the traverses, and the R7T mono-block wheel with the ORE S1002 920 mm standard profile, in order to evaluate the stresses, strains, and contact forces. In this research, the wheel and rail model along with the spring elements have been used in order to simulate the set of rails, traverses, and train wheels. To obtain the critical zone in the path, the dynamic analysis of the wheel pass on the rail has been simulated. Then, in a modified model that only included the critical region, the sub-modeling technique was used for accurate stress analysis. In order to acquire the mechanical properties, the standard samples made of rail and traverses have been subjected to tensile, compressive and fatigue tests. Finally, three life prediction models based on critical plane theory have been used to estimate life. The results of this research show that the turnout crossing is prone to fatigue crack growth in the direction of rail depth and in the plates where the shear stresses are maximum.
Keywords
Train
Turnout Crossing
Rail
Fatigue Life
Critical Plane Theory
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