Computer simulation of the interaction between a wheel and a corrugated rail

The paper discusses the problems of modelling and simulation of the wheel/rail contact in the case when geometrical irregularities of the rail are taken into account. The iterative method for determining the geometrical relationship between the profile of a rigid rail and the trajectory of the centre of a rigid wheel is presented. The computer code that implements this method is a part of the computer model of the wheel/rail system. The model allows the case when the wheel loses contact with the rail and afterwards hits the rail. Simulation analysis is focused on the question as to whether the wheel bouncing off and on the rail may occur under normal operation conditions. The other question is how this bouncing influences the pressure forces between the wheel and the rail, and how it influences the stress distribution within the contact zone. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.