An analysis of the train–turnout interaction

A distinctive feature of the application proposed in this work is the occurrence of simultaneous contact patches on a single wheel, i.e., the multi-point contact case. A difficulty in the study of this phenomenon is that the contact areas depend on the deformation of the bodies, whereas these deformations are functions of the contact loading and the contact area. This is contrary to what is usually the case in finite element analysis, where the load and displacement are prescribed at different (fixed) parts of the boundary.