Abstract: 3D transient finite element(FE) model is developed by an explicit time integration scheme to solve the dynamic wheel-rail rolling contact at high speeds. Actual geometries of the wheelset and rail are considered in the model together with arbitrary irregularities in the contact surfaces. Material nonlinearities of the wheel-rail can also be included. A tiny time step is required in the simulation due to the conditional stability of the explicit time integration scheme, which makes the model suitable for solving the (high frequency) dynamic or transient wheel-rail rolling contact at high speeds, eg. wheels rolling over joints and corrugated rails. Moreover, spin of the rolling contact and gyroscopic effect of the rotating wheelset are automatically taken into account by simulating the rolling behavior. Through further including the related components of the vehicle and track systems, dynamic responses of the high-speed vehicle-track system at a corrugated rail is studied in detail together with the transient solutions of rolling contact. It is found that a phase difference exists between a rail corrugation and the dynamic contact force excited by it, and this phase difference decreases with the increase of rolling speed. This explains why the rail corrugation on a high-speed line reaches steady states soon after being initiated.

Key words: 3D rolling contact model, Explicit finite element method, High-speed railway, Rail corrugation, Transient responses