PSI - Issue 57

Elena Sidorov et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 57 (2024) 316–326 Author name / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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with respect to the rail-flange contact. (ii) The tallest peaks are presumably leveled by microscopic plastic deformation when the rail and the flange are mechanically clamped together to lay the rail welds. Facing the findings from the test girders, two different models of the gap under the rail seem to be worth being investigated: a uniform gap as shown in Figure 5b and a wedge-shaped gap as shown in Figure 5c.

Fig. 5. Surface roughness: (a) roughness profile measurement, (b) rail-flange contact with uniform gap and (c) with wedge-shaped gap

4. Numerical investigation on chain intermittent rail welds

4.1. Finite element model

A parametrized numericalmodel consisting of Finite Elements (FE) has been generated representing one half of a symmetrical crane runway beam with chain intermittent rail welds that is loaded by a wheel load . The wheel load acts centrically at the center of the rail weld at midspan in the form of a uniform line load as shown in Figure 6. The girder is simply supported. To ensure symmetrical boundary conditions, the horizontal support is located at midspan.

Fig. 6. Parameterized FE model with loading: (a) longitudinal view, (b) loading section (enlarged scale), (c) FE mesh with loading section and rail detail with mapped meshing, (d) bottom view of crane rail. All measurements in mm.