Fully coupled thermo-mechanical-wear analysis for brake interface of high-speed train

The tribology behavior of the brake interface is a vital aspect since it determines the service life and operation safety of the train. To be more understanding about this, a fully coupled thermo-mechanical-wear finite element algorithm is proposed to study the evolution of temperature, wear and mechanical contact at the interface of high-speed train brake systems, and the correctness of which is experimentally validated. In this approach, contact stress is extracted to calculate the interfacial heat flux for the subsequent thermomechanical coupling analysis. Meanwhile, based on the Achard wear model, the interfacial wear degradation under thermal conditions is simulated through ABAQUS subroutine UMESHMOTION with the help of arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) remeshing technique. Using the proposed method, the dynamic interaction between temperature, wear and contact stress is investigated, and the coupling mechanism between these factors is revealed. The results indicate that the temperature magnitude will be overestimated without considering the wear effect. In reverse, the thermal expansion has a significant influence on the wear and contact behavior. The interfacial contact behavior is jointly influenced by surface wear and thermal effects. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately predict the tribology behavior of the brake interface without a comprehensive consideration of these factors. •A fully coupled thermomechanical-wear numerical simulation method is proposed and experimentally validated.•The characteristics and evolutions of wear, temperature and contact behavior of the brake interface are studied.•A complex coupling mechanism between the thermal, wear and contact property is revealed.