Influencing Mechanism of Rubber Wheel on Contact Pressure and Metal Removal in Corrugated Rail Grinding by Abrasive Belt

Rail grinding has been widely recognized as an essential measure in routine maintenance of railway network in the world. Compared with other technologies, the emerging abrasive belt grinding process for direct rail maintenance rather than limited polishing finish has shown the convincing potential to improve metal removal rate and surface quality. However, the influencing mechanism of the rubber wheel on contact pressure and metal removal for the corrugated rails is yet unknown. This paper develops a contact pressure model to obtain the boundary curve and the stress distribution of the contact zone between the rubber wheel with concave peripheral surface and the rail surface with corrugation. Based on this, the metal removal model is subsequently established through the abrasive processing theory. Finite element (FE) simulations and grinding tests are finally implemented. Results confirm the above-mentioned theoretical models of contact pressure and metal removal and show the significant influences of the rubber wheel's feature on contact pressure and metal removal.