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J. Shen^1,2, J. Zuo^1,2 and Y. Pan¹

¹College of Transportation, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
²Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rail Infrastructure Durability and System Safety, Tongji University, China

doi:10.4203/ccc.15.9.10

J. Shen, J. Zuo, Y. Pan, "Mesh Sensitivity Analysis of Xfem-Based Fatigue Crack Investigation in Railway Brake Discs", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 9.10, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.9.10

Keywords: railway brake disc, mesh sensitivity, thermomechanical, fatigue crack, stress intensity factor, XFEM.

Abstract

This study investigates the mesh sensitivity of an extended finite element method in fatigue crack analysis of railway brake discs, and the stress intensity factor under different crack lengths and mesh sizes is mainly discussed. The results show that the residual stress distribution is nearly mesh-independent, while the calculated stress intensity factor is more sensitive to crack-tip discretization and contour selection. Short cracks exhibit stronger mesh sensitivity and require finer local refinement, whereas longer cracks allow moderately coarser meshes. For the present model, a 1 mm mesh is suitable for 10-20 mm crack lengths, while a 2 mm mesh may be acceptable for longer cracks. The findings suggest that mesh size should be selected according to crack length and stress intensity factor stability rather than using a fixed mesh for all crack cases.

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Front Page Browse CCC CCP CSETS CTR IJRT Other Authors Search Purchase Guide FAQ Contact us	Civil-Comp Conferences ISSN 2753-3239 CCC: 15 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE Edited by: J. Pombo Paper 9.10 Mesh Sensitivity Analysis of Xfem-Based Fatigue Crack Investigation in Railway Brake Discs J. Shen^1,2, J. Zuo^1,2 and Y. Pan¹ ¹College of Transportation, Tongji University, Shanghai, China ²Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rail Infrastructure Durability and System Safety, Tongji University, China doi:10.4203/ccc.15.9.10 Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper J. Shen, J. Zuo, Y. Pan, "Mesh Sensitivity Analysis of Xfem-Based Fatigue Crack Investigation in Railway Brake Discs", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 9.10, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.9.10 Keywords: railway brake disc, mesh sensitivity, thermomechanical, fatigue crack, stress intensity factor, XFEM. Abstract This study investigates the mesh sensitivity of an extended finite element method in fatigue crack analysis of railway brake discs, and the stress intensity factor under different crack lengths and mesh sizes is mainly discussed. The results show that the residual stress distribution is nearly mesh-independent, while the calculated stress intensity factor is more sensitive to crack-tip discretization and contour selection. Short cracks exhibit stronger mesh sensitivity and require finer local refinement, whereas longer cracks allow moderately coarser meshes. For the present model, a 1 mm mesh is suitable for 10-20 mm crack lengths, while a 2 mm mesh may be acceptable for longer cracks. The findings suggest that mesh size should be selected according to crack length and stress intensity factor stability rather than using a fixed mesh for all crack cases. download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 11 pages, 999 Kb) go to the previous paper go to the next paper return to the table of contents return to the volume description
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