Modelling the thermomechanical wheel–rail interface during rolling contact

Paper in proceeding, 2012

A theoretical and computational framework for the analysis of thermomechanically coupled transient rolling contact based on an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) kinematical description is developed. A finite element formulation featuring 2D cylinder–plate rolling contact is implemented. The implementation features penalty- type contact formulations for normal/tangential mechanical and thermal contact. It is noted that the ALE formulation allows for a simplified time description, a compact computational domain and localized mesh refinement. Numerical simulations considering stationary rolling conditions featuring full slip are presented.