Finite element analyses of rail head cracks: Predicting direction and rate of rolling contact fatigue crack growth
Journal article, 2024

A numerical framework in 3D for predicting crack growth direction and rate in a rail head is presented. An inclined semi-circular surface-breaking gauge corner crack with frictionless crack faces is incorporated into a 60E1 rail model. The investigated load scenarios are wheel–rail contact, rail bending, thermal loading, and combinations of these. The crack growth direction is predicted using an accumulative vector crack tip displacement criterion, and Paris-type equations are employed to estimate crack growth rates. Results are evaluated along the crack front for varying crack radii and crack plane inclinations. Under the combined load cases and in the presence of tractive forces, the crack is generally predicted to go deeper into the rail than under pure contact. Crack growth rates for the combined load cases are higher than (but still close to) that for pure contact. A tractive force will increase growth rates for smaller cracks, whereas a steeper (45°) inclination will decrease the growth rate under the studied conditions as compared to a shallower (25°) inclination. Results should be of use for rail maintenance planning where deeper cracks require more machining efforts.

3D finite element modelling

Crack growth direction

Vector crack tip displacement

Crack growth rate

Rolling contact fatigue

Author

Mohammad Salahi Nezhad

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Fredrik Larsson

Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Material and Computational Mechanics

Elena Kabo

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Dynamics

Anders Ekberg

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Dynamics

Engineering Fracture Mechanics

0013-7944 (ISSN)

Vol. 310 110503

Driving research and innovation to push Europe's rail system forward (IN2TRACK3)

Swedish Transport Administration (2021/19114), 2021-01-01 -- 2023-12-31.

European Commission (EC) (EC/H2020/101012456), 2021-01-01 -- 2023-12-31.

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

DOI

10.1016/j.engfracmech.2024.110503

More information

Latest update

10/7/2024