Fatigue design of railway wheels: a probabilistic approach

Abstract

International audienceThis paper deals with a method to evaluate and optimize the design of railway wheels subjected to multiparameter variable fatigue loading. The fatigue loads are statistically evaluated from in-service measurements. Representative realistic loading paths are built from the knowledge of the influence of various factors (such as train speed and track curvature). Using these paths, the method combines finite element computations and the fatigue equivalence method for damage evaluation in the structure. An extension of the Dang Van fatigue criterion in the high-cycle fatigue finite life domain associated with a damage accumulation law is adopted. The probability of failure of the structure is directly obtained from the interference between a local fatigue equivalent stress and fatigue strength distributions (based on the stress-strength interference approach). The result is useful for the optimization during the design stage or the validation of the fatigue strength of structures

Fatigue limit of induction hardened railway axles

“…Demands for higher reliability and safety of railway vehicles have brought intensive research of degradation processes in railway wheelsets and new approaches to wheelset design . Extremely high repeated contact stresses between wheels and rails cause rolling contact fatigue .…”

“…Demands for higher reliability and safety of railway vehicles have brought intensive research of degradation processes in railway wheelsets [1][2][3] and new approaches to wheelset design. 4 Extremely high repeated contact stresses between wheels and rails cause rolling contact fatigue. 1,2 A very serious form of damage to wheel seats is fretting fatigue, caused by small-amplitude oscillatory movement of wheels in press-fitted seat/axle joints.…”

Theoretical framework for estimating a product's reliability using a variable‐amplitude loading spectrum and a stress‐based approach

“…To calculate reliability from the fatigue damage, Monte‐Carlo simulations and/or FORM methods are frequently applied . Often, the influence of the loading spectrum is considered through the equivalent stress amplitude or range . Some researcher also follow a stochastic approach to calculate damage as opposed to the application of the material's S‐N curve with scatter, but it was shown by Paolino and Cavatorte that the former approach yields in better reliability predictions only 10% of the cases.…”

Rolling contact fatigue cracking in rails subjected to in‐service loading

“…have recently developed a model to predict the actual crack depth and surface length in curved rails in connection to vehicle dynamics simulations. Recent work has also been performed for the wheel, such as the work by Roux et al who developed a method to evaluate and optimize the design of railway wheels subjected to variable fatigue loading.…”