A Non‐Iterative Wheel‐Rail Contact Geometry Determination Algorithm and Its Application

Abstract To ensure a more accurate simulation of the wheel‐rail contact state in vehicle‐track interaction, a non‐iterative contact geometry determination algorithm is proposed. This algorithm decouples lateral movement and roll, independently calculates the minimum wheel‐rail gap on both sides, and overcomes the limitation of simultaneous wheel‐rail contact on both sides. It can be applied to single‐side and two‐side wheel‐rail separation problems. Additionally, by converting track irregularity and rail deformation into the reverse displacement of the wheel, it avoids real‐time calculation of the wheel‐rail spatial position, thereby improving calculation efficiency. The effectiveness of the algorithm is verified through Universal Mechanism software and field measurements. Subsequently, the influence of the measured wheel‐rail profile, rail cant, and rail gauge on the wheel‐rail contact characteristics is analyzed. Finally, vehicle shaking caused by track irregularity and wheel‐rail contact is examined from the perspective of wheel‐rail matching. The study demonstrates that the non‐iterative algorithm is suitable for online simulation by pre‐processing the contact geometry parameters. When the track gauge and rail cant increase, the distribution of wheel‐rail contact points becomes more concentrated. Furthermore, when the excitation frequency of wheel‐rail matching is close to the track irregularity excitation frequency, it causes vibration amplification, resulting in lateral vehicle shaking.