A new abrasive wear model for railway ballast

Abstract

A new method to model the abrasion of granular particles using the discrete element method is demonstrated in this paper. This new, simple method is based on a classical theory of abrasive wear, relating the volume of solid lost to the frictional work at particle contacts. The modelling technique is demonstrated in simulations of railway ballast using realistically-shaped particles, which are compared to experimental data. The new abrasion model correctly introduces stress-dependent behaviour at small strains into the simulations, which is essential for any realistic discrete element model.