Contact stress variations near the insulated rail joints

Abstract

The effect of an insulated rail joint (IRJ) on the contact stress variation near wheel-rail contact zones was simulated by employing three-dimensional finite element models. Three linear elastic IRJ materials, i.e. epoxy-fibreglass, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Nylon-66, were investigated. Contact elements were used to simulate the interaction between the wheel and rail contact points. Numerical results showed that the presence of IRJ might significantly affect the wheel-rail contact stress distributions. Results also indicated that the traditional Hertzian contact theory is no longer available to predict the contact stress distribution around the rail joints.