Numerical Simulations and Bending Fatigue Experiments of Compensation Ropes Adopted in Highspeed Railway

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Railway Engineering

Background:

• Compensation ropes are vital for high-speed train traction power supply system stability.
• These specific wire ropes are susceptible to fatigue fracture from repeated bending during operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To predict the bending fatigue life of compensation ropes under cyclic bending conditions.
• To develop an efficient and reliable modeling strategy for complex wire rope structures.

Main Methods:

• Conducted bending fatigue tests on compensation ropes.
• Simulated stress distribution and deformation using finite element method.
• Applied Love's elastic thin-rod theory for an alternative modeling approach.

Main Results:

• Equivalent elastic modulus from Love's theory matched experimental data.
• The equivalent diameter model showed similar end elongations to the full-structure model.
• Predicted bending fatigue life using the equivalent model agreed well with experimental results.

Conclusions:

• The proposed equivalent modeling strategy is efficient and reliable for fatigue life prediction.
• Love's elastic thin-rod theory effectively addresses simulation challenges in large-deformation bending.
• Microscopic analysis revealed fatigue fracture mechanisms, validating the model.