Microscopic contact pressure and material removal modeling in rail grinding using abrasive belt

Recently, the emerging rail grinding method using abrasive belt has been proposed to efficiently achieve the required geometric profile and the surface quality of the railhead. Although the abrasive features indeed have a great influence on this rail grinding process, the surface topography of abrasive belt regarding grits at the microscopic scale is neglected. In this article, a microscopic contact pressure model was developed to reveal the contact behavior of every active grit based on the digital representation of the surface topography of abrasive belt. Then a numerical model of material removal quantity was also established based on the consideration of the characteristics of abrasive grits and their interactions. Finally, the series of finite element simulations and grinding tests were successively implemented. The normal load and the surface topography of abrasive belt significantly affected the microscopic contact behavior of grits, thus confirming the proposed theoretical models of microscopic contact pressure and material removal quantity.