Reverse Engineering of brake block design for rolling stock

The brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel of the railway vehicle within the minimum
possible time. A brake system is connected to the wheel, usually made of cast iron or composite materials. This
study aims to determine the optimization design of brake block. Optimization is done by changing the material of
the brake block under different braking times and operational conditions. The analysis involved studying the stressstrain
distribution values, deformation on braking times. Modeling the brake block by 3D CAD software, analyzing
and optimizing the reconstructed model with different materials, FCD 400, FCD 450, FCD 500, Grey Cast Iron,
Low Carbon Steel (AISI 1018), Medium Carbon Steel (AISI 1045), High Carbon Steel (AISI 1065) and SS400 Steel
for Locomotive brake. SolidWorks software is used for modelling and analyzing the behavior of structural (Von-
Mises stress, effective strain and deformation) using ANSYS Workbench software and FEA techniques. This paper
will also show the stress, strain and deformation occurring in the brake system. Optimized results obtained are
compared for all materials. It concludes that the FCD 400-18 can be a better candidate material for the brake block
and brake shoe of the train, increasing the braking performance. And then, the final modifications have been
proposed to the existing Brake block system.