Analysis of Frictional Sliding Contact in Magnetic Track Brakes: A Simplified Methodology

Abstract

Magnetic track brakes (MTBs) serve as emergency braking systems in railway applications, relying on mechanical sliding contact between a braking element (the pole shoe) and the rail. Accurate and efficient prediction of both local and global contact forces, as well as the resulting deformations during braking, is crucial for optimizing overall brake performance. To this end, we present a simplified yet computationally efficient sliding contact model based on elastic half-space theory, designed for subsequent integration into multibody dynamic simulations of the entire braking system. In the proposed methodology, the contacting bodies are treated as globally rigid while allowing for small elastic deformations near the contact interface to enable the computation of local contact force distributions. A primary focus is placed on the grid convergence analysis, wherein contact force distributions and surface deformations that are obtained using the proposed model are compared against classical finite element simulations. The results highlight that the approach achieves a favorable balance between computational efficiency and predictive accuracy. Although some limitations are identified and discussed, the model proves to be a promising candidate for efficient simulation of MTB behavior under certain operating conditions.