Dynamic stress analysis of rail joint with height difference defect using finite element method

A finite element analysis is conducted to study dynamic elastic–plastic stress when a wheel passes a rail joint with height difference between the two sides of a gap. The ANSYS implicit code and LS-DYNA explicit code are coupled to simulate the process of the wheel contacting or impacting the rail joint. Contact elements are used to simulate the interactions between wheel and rails, between rails and joint bars, between joint bars and bolts and between bolts and rails. The effects of train speed, axle load and height difference on the contact forces, stresses and strains at railhead are investigated. Numerical results show that the presence of rail joint with height difference significantly affect the contact force, stress and strains. The results also indicate that the train speed has a larger effect on the contact force, stress and strains than the axle load.