RSIME LS-DYNA Projects: Wheel Flat Impact Analysis

Wheel flats are common wheel defects in the rail industry.  They are produced when a wheel is locked from a braking malfunction which causes the wheel to skid.  Once the wheel starts rotating again, large repeating impacts are created.

A finite element model using LS-DYNA was created of a single wheel on a half track.  Track stiffness was validated with actual track data.  The wheel was accelerated up to operational speeds, while it rolled over the wheel flat defect.

Deformation around the defect was modeled, as well as forces and accelerations.  This was the first model of a wheel flat impact using a 3-dimensional, transient finite element model. 

This research was published in the following paper:

M.G. Dick, J.D. Reid, "Railcar Wheel Flat Impact Analysis", Proceedings of 2004 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE 2004), ASME, 2004.