CONTACT GEOMETRY ASSOCIATED WITH ARBITRARY RAIL AND WHEEL PROFILES

This paper gives the derivation of a number of results pertaining to wheel and rail geometry that are needed for the analysis of contact stresses and rolling-creepage phenomena. It is shown how the profile curves specified by engineering drawings for standard wheels and rails may be analysed to find parameters which are needed to express the pertinent equations in the various coordinate systems utilized in contact stress analysis. For arbitrarily selected points of initial contact on the wheel tread and on the railhead, it is shown how to determine the feasibility of such contact, and how to determine the mutual separation of points on the two surfaces. It is also shown how to determine the curve of interpenetration which is used as an initial estimate of the contact patch boundary associated with a given relative approach (due to elastic deformation) of the loaded wheel and rail. This analysis is the basis of a computer program (INSEP) for initial separation, and a program (INTERPEN) for the interpenetration curve.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • The General Problem of Rolling Contact, AMD-VOL. 40, from the Winter Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Chicago, Illinois, November 16-21, 1980.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Two Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10016-5990
• Authors:
  • Paul, B
  • Hashemi, J
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 93-105
• Serial:
  • Publication of: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car wheels (Railroads); Coefficient of friction; Computer programs; Creep; Elasticity (Mechanics); Force; Rail (Railroads); Railhead; Rolling contact; Structural analysis; Wheels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Wheel profiles
• Old TRIS Terms: Rail head profile; Wheel creep
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00325433
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 6 1981 12:00AM