Aspects of the wheel-switch contact studied with the CONTACT software

The rapid variation of the wheel and rail profile influences, on one hand, the grip-pseudo-slip - wear characteristics, and on the other hand, the dynamic behavior of the vehicle, because the pseudo-slip forces are significantly influenced by the contact area and pressures from within this area. It must be borne in mind that, in most cases, the rail-road has deviations from the geometric dimensions, which must not affect traffic safety and the demands of the running gear and the track must be within the permissible limits. Railway switches ensure discontinuities on the railway causing high dynamic loads. In operation, the rail-way devices must ensure three basic requirements: safety against derailment, stability while on the move and passenger comfort. In this context the paper presents aspects of the multipoint wheel-rail-way switch contact using the Contact software. Considering the influence of sliding speeds on the contact phenomena at the intersection of the wheel with the running path, the paper presents an analysis of the kinematic behavior of the axle while passing over a point rail.