Rolling contact problems with nonhomogeneous materials

Numerous laboratory experiments indicate that graded materials layers or coatings covering the conventional steel body can reduce the magnitude of contact and/or thermal stresses as well as the noise and the rolling contact fatigue. The paper is concerned with the numerical solution of the wheel-rail elastic contact problem assuming that the surface of the rail consists from layers having distinct constant material parameters and a functionally graded material layer between them which mechanical properties are dependent on its depth. The contact phenomenon includes friction as well as wear. Quasistatic numerical approach is used to solve numerically this problem. Numerical results are provided and discussed.