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Thermal Load Simulations in Railway Disc Brake: A Systematic Review of Modelling Temperature, Stress and Fatigue

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Abstract

Disc brakes are the most important contributor of safety in railway vehicles. Appropriate modelling of heat input and boundary conditions in railway disc brake thermal load simulation plays a key role to predict exact results. Starting from early generation of railway technology, many researchers have dealt with FEM modelling, although lack of uniformity has been prevailing between them. Based on this problem, this review tries to answer the research question: “What FE boundary conditions and heat input modelling have been utilized in railway disc brake temperature, stress and fatigue simulations?”. Modelling effectiveness is evaluated based on boundary condition estimation, and spatial and time variation. The review is based on 49 significant publications available from 1995 to 2020. A method of systematic literature review is used to collect, identify and filter past and current trends in modelling. No study was revealed to incorporate all thermal modelling observed in actual braking conditions, including heat transfer modes, heat input calculations, heat applications, and its spatial and time variation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to manifest their gratitude to African Railway Center of Excellence Staff who contributed to general administrative support for the success of this review.

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This review received no specific donation from any funding organization in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. African Railway Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 385, King George IV Street, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Kejela Temesgen Deressa

  2. School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 385, King George IV Street, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Demiss Alemu Ambie

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  1. Kejela Temesgen Deressa
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  2. Demiss Alemu Ambie
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Correspondence to Kejela Temesgen Deressa.

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Deressa, K.T., Ambie, D.A. Thermal Load Simulations in Railway Disc Brake: A Systematic Review of Modelling Temperature, Stress and Fatigue. Arch Computat Methods Eng 29, 2271–2283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-021-09662-y

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