Damage Analysis and Finite Element Simulation of Fretting Wear on Press-Fitted Surface of Railway Axle

The fatigue test was conducted for the full-scale railway axle, and the fretting damage on the press-fitted surface was analyzed. The finite element model was then established to investigate the influence of fretting wear on the fretting parameters and axial stress. The results show that the total width of the fretting damage area was about 20 mm. According to the characteristics of surface appearance, it can be divided into three areas. The width of the damage zone was almost the same as the width of the fretting zone, and the width of the opening zone was slightly smaller than that of the wear zone. The peak values of the contact pressure, the frictional shear stress and the axial stress appeared at the contact edge for the axle without wear. With the occurrence of fretting wear, the peak values of the contact pressure, axial stress and frictional shear stress appeared at the worn-unworn boundary. At the same time, the value of the axial stress changed from negative to positive in the wear zone. The wear debris provided a bearing platform for the contact surface and inhibits the stress concentration moving from the external to the inside of fretting area.