Switch panel design based on simulation of accumulated rail damage in a railway turnout

A methodology for numerical prediction of accumulated rail damage in railway turnouts is presented. Based on simulation of dynamic vehicle-track interaction followed by a discretisation of the conditions in each wheel-rail contact, distributions of rail wear are calculated by the Archard model of sliding wear, while surface initiated rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage is evaluated by the Palmgren–Miner rule and an index building on shakedown...