Development and validation of innovative wheel-rail and vehicle-track interaction models including track flexibility

Wheel-rail and vehicle-track interactions are key to investigating many fundamental issues in the railway system. The modelling of wheel-rail and vehicle-track interactions is beneficial to understand the instantaneous contact mechanism, to monitor the on-line operation safety, to diagnose the emerging defects, and to extend the long-term infrastructure life. The present research work aims at establishing a reliable methodology that focuses on the track flexibility, as the structural flexibility significantly influences the accuracy of the calculation of the wheel-rail impacting force and therefore plays a critical role in investigations that demand higher frequencies.