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The study of the wheel-rail contact is considered a major problem, because it seriously affects the dynamic behaviour of the railway vehicles. Frequently this type of contact is considered a very complex and nonlinear physical phenomenon. The main objective of the present paper is to contribute knowledge of the wheel-rail contact problem in the context of vibration generation, it also involves developing numerical model based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). The ANSYS language is used to model a wheel with primary suspension in contact with a half bi-block track design. A comparison between results from FEM model and from an analytical model widely used in the literature are presented. These results predict the vertical wheel-rail contact force caused by a wheel flat profile. The prediction model is useful during the development of a project as it facilitates the selection of the most suitable track for reducing vibration levels. The authors have also developed new numerical models of wheelset in contact with a complete railway track system, not presented in this paper, that overcome some disadvantages of the analytical models.
