A comprehensive approach for modeling fatigue and fracture of rails

摘要: Abstract A comprehensive approach is developed for studying the fatigue phenomena (crack initiation and propagation) induced by repeated rolling or rolling–sliding contacts between wheel rail. Cracks initiate propagate in rail head a complex varying multiaxial stress regime due to Hertzian non-Hertzian generating 3D residual pattern. This paper presents main steps of such an devoted modeling defects rails traffic. Special attention paid some principal difficulties met as well proposed solutions. Examples applications prediction propagation are presented. It shown that numerical simulations predict very locus crack its Our at least three originalities: first, it global starting from evaluation initial state simulation under loading including stresses. Second, special original methods states, overloads elastoplastic service have been developed. Third, new concept based on “structural Paris law” has used simulations.