Prediction of crack plane orientation in railway wheels for different braking conditions

Abstract

In this paper the stress analysis of a railway wheel is introduced. The wheel was analysed by Finite element method (FEM) under different service conditions during the braking process, which means that the friction coefficient and the relative speed between the wheel and rail were altered, creating 22 different loading conditions. Stress and strain histories were evaluated in the time domain during rolling, and the fatigue parameter was used to find the critical plane in each condition. The orientation of this critical plane was used to predict the crack propagation direction and the possible fatigue mode of the wheel. Relying on the results a critical plane map was created to visualize the possible fracture modes of the wheel under different loading conditions.