Research on the strain gauge mounting scheme of track wheel force measurement system based on high-speed wheel/rail relationship test rig

Purpose-This paper aims to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface and study the optimal strain gauge location for force measurement system of the track wheel.Design/methodology/approach-Finite element method was employed to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface under varying wheel-rail forces.Locations with minimal coupling interference between vertical and lateral forces were identified as suitable for strain gauge installation.Findings-The results show that due to the track wheel web’s unique curved shape and wheel-rail force loading mechanism,both tensile and compressive states exit on the surface of the web.When vertical force is applied,Mises stress and strain are relatively high near the inner radius of 710 mm and the outer radius of 1110mmof the web.Under lateral force,high Mises stress and strain are observed near the radius of 670mmon the inner and outer sides of the web.As the wheel-rail force application point shifts laterally toward the outer side,the Mises stress and strain near the inner radius of 710 mm of the web gradually decrease under vertical force while gradually increasing near the outer radius of 1110 mm of the web.Under lateral force,the Mises stress and strain on the surface of the web remain relatively unchanged regardless of the wheel-rail force application point.Based on the analysis of stress and strain on the surface of the web under different wheel-rail forces,the inner radius of 870 mm is recommended as the optimal mounting location of strain gauges for measuring vertical force,while the inner radius of 1143 mm is suitable for measuring lateral force.Originality/value-The research findings provide valuable insights for determining optimal strain gauge locations and designing an effective track wheel force measurement system.

Development of a Test Rig for Axial Strains Measurement in Automobile Wheel

In automobile wheel application, a test rig is vital and used to simulate conditions of the wheel in service in order to affirm the safety and reliability of the wheel. The present work designed a test rig for measuring axial strains in automobile wheel. The wheel used was a five-arm wheel (6JX14H2;ET 42) and Tyre (175 × 65 R 14). Experimental (EXP) test was carried out, with a radial load of 4750 N and inflation pressure of 0.3 MPa, to measure the axil strains which were converted to maximum principal strain values and, compared with data from Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using Creo-Element/Pro 5.0 at wheel’s contact angles of 90 degree (FEA 90 deg), 40 degree (FEA 40 deg) and 30.25 degree (FEA 30.25 deg), respectively. Results show that at the wheel’s point of contact with the ground, maximum principal strain values were highest at the inboard bead seat with a value of about 5.69 × 10-4 mm/mm, followed by the values at the well of about 5.66 × 10-4 mm/mm. The value at the outboard bead seat was least at about 2.22 × 10-4 mm/mm, which was due to the presence of spikes at this location that tends to resist imposed radial loads. However, the highest mean maximum principal strain values at the locations of inboard, well and outboard, were about 2.11 × 10-4 mm/mm, 3.78 × 10-4 mm/mm and .99 × 10-4 mm/mm, respectively. With the highest single value of about 5.69 × 10-4 mm/mm, the inboard bead seat was the most strained location of the wheel. Overall results showed that all values of maximum principal strains were below the threshold value of about 1 × 10-2 mm/mm. The values obtained for EXP and FEA could be said to be in close agreement when compared with the threshold value. With this in mind, the rig is recommended for use in related experimental procedures.

Analysis of wheel-rail adhesion redundancy considering the thirdbody medium on the rail surface

Purpose–In response to the problem of insufficient traction/braking adhesion force caused by the existence of the third-body medium on the rail surface,this study aims to analyze the utilization of wheel-rail adhesion coefficient under different medium conditions and propose relevant measures for reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion to ensure the traction/braking performance and operation safety of trains.Design/methodology/approach–Based on the PLS-160 wheel-rail adhesion simulation test rig,the study investigates the variation patterns of maximum utilized adhesion characteristics on the rail surface under different conditions of small creepage and large slip.Through statistical analysis of multiple sets of experimental data,the statistical distribution patterns of maximum utilized adhesion on the rail surface are obtained,and a method for analyzing wheel-rail adhesion redundancy based on normal distribution is proposed.The study analyzes the utilization of traction/braking adhesion,as well as adhesion redundancy,for different medium under small creepage and large slip conditions.Based on these findings,relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived.Findings–When the third-body medium exists on the rail surface,the train should adopt the low-level service braking to avoid the braking skidding by extending the braking distance.Compared with the current adhesion control strategy of small creepage,adopting appropriate strategies to control the train’s adhesion coefficient near the second peak point of the adhesion coefficient-slip ratio curve in large slip can effectively improve the traction/braking adhesion redundancy and the upper limit of adhesion utilization,thereby ensuring the traction/braking performance and operation safety of the train.Originality/value–Most existing studies focus on the wheel-rail adhesion coefficient values and variation patterns under different medium conditions,without considering whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train.Therefore,there is a risk of traction overspeeding/braking skidding.This study analyzes whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train and whether there is redundancy.Based on these findings,relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived to further ensure operation safety of the train.

Real-time multibody modeling and simulation of a scaled bogie test rig

In wheel–rail adhesion studies,most of the test rigs used are simplified designs such as a single wheel or wheelset,but the results may not be accurate.Alternatively,representing the complex system by using a full vehicle model provides accurate results but may incur complexity in design.To trade off accuracy over complexity,a bogie model can be the optimum selection.Furthermore,only a real-time model can replicate its physical counterpart in the time domain.Developing such a model requires broad expertise and appropriate software and hardware.A few published works are available which deal with real-time modeling.However,the influence of the control system has not been included in those works.To address these issues,a real-time scaled bogie test rig including the control system is essential.Therefore,a 1:4 scaled bogie roller rig is developed to study the adhesion between wheel and roller contact.To compare the performances obtained from the scaled bogie test rig and to expand the test applications,a numerical simulation model of that scaled bogie test rig is developed using Gensys multibody software.This model is the complete model of the test rig which delivers more precise results.To exactly represent the physical counterpart system in the time domain,a real-time scaled bogie test rig(RT-SBTR)is developed after four consecutive stages.Then,to simulate the RT-SBTR to solve the internal state equations and functions representing the physical counterpart system in rigs used are simplified designs such as a single wheel or wheelset,but the results may not be accurate.Alternatively,representing the complex system by using a full vehicle model provides accurate results but may incur complexity in design.To trade off accuracy over complexity,a bogie model can be the optimum selection.Furthermore,only a real-time model can replicate its physical counterpart in the time domain.Developing such a model requires broad expertise and appropriate software and hardware.A few published works are available which deal with real-time modeling.However,the influence of the control system has not been included in those works.To address these issues,a real-time scaled bogie test rig including the control system is essential.Therefore,a 1:4 scaled bogie roller rig is developed to study the adhesion between wheel and roller contact.To compare the performances obtained from the scaled bogie test rig and to expand the test applications,a numerical simulation model of that scaled bogie test rig is developed using Gensys multibody software.This model is the complete model of the test rig which delivers more precise results.To exactly represent the physical counterpart system in the time domain,a real-time scaled bogie test rig(RT-SBTR)is developed after four consecutive stages.Then,to simulate the RT-SBTR to solve the internal state equations and functions representing the physical counterpart system in equal or less than actual time,the real-time simulation environment is prepared in two stages.To such end,the computational time improved from 4 times slower than real time to 2 times faster than real time.Finally,the real-time scaled bogie model is also incorporated with the braking control system which slightly reduces the computational performances without affecting real-time capability.

Test Rig Effect on Performance Measurement for Low Loaded Large-Diameter Fan for Automotive Application

Large diameter fans with low solidity are widely used in automotive application for engine cooling. Their designs with small chord length help reducing the torque on the electrical motor and providing a good aerodynamic compromise between several operating conditions, some of these being at high flow rate. Their global performances are measured according to the ISO standard DP 5801, which allows comparison of results from different facilities. However, some variations in global performances are observed when considering results from two different test rigs. On a fan selected for the purpose of this study, up to 6 % of efficiency is lost on the worst case. As efficiency is more than ever a key factor to select a component, some experimental and numerical investigations were conducted to analyze the fan behavior on each facility. Two sets of measurement and simulation are performed and compared. Geometries considered for the domain of computation include the test rig plenum, the torquemeter, the ground and a large domain for the atmospheric conditions. The exact fan geometry with tip clearance and under-hub ribs is also considered. Numerical results show a good agreement with experiment in both cases when convergence is reached and for low flow rate when computations are switched to unsteady mode. Comparisons show that simulations are able to capture the different fan behaviors depending on the confguration and those efficiency losses previously observed are correctly predicted. These results are further analyzed to perform some post-processing. Blade loading remains identical for both cases but disparities appear in the wake and its interaction with the surrounding. Tiny details that are often neglected during experiment and/or simulation appear to be the cause of slight variations. Position of the torquemeter and shape of the plenum are among the parameters that various and that have cumulative effects. Efficiency being a ration of pressure and torque, variations are rather important. Finally, these results are discussed in terms of rules for conception and a new geometry less sensible to loss of efficiency is proposed.

Automatic lifting system design and application of large load powered support test rig

This paper presented a design of an automatic lifting system. It is used for large load powered support and improves the old method wherein powered support lifting depends on manual control. This system applies a high accuracy gear shunt motor to match the flow for 4 lifting cylinders, and also allocates bypass throttles to realize automatic lifting. Through the dis- placement sensor feedback the height deviation among 4 lifting cylinders during the whole lifting process, when the deviation is up to the sitting value, the corresponding bypass throttle is operated immediately to reduce the deviation, so that the moving platform of the powered support would not be stuck. Through real application, it is shown that this system can realize automatic lifting of powered support; the lifting speed is controlled between 5 and 10 mm/s, and the final aligning accuracy is up to 1 mm.

Processing the rig test data of an air filling twin-tube shock absorber

A separation method is proposed to design and improve shock absorber according to the characteristics of each force. The method is validated by rig test. The force data measured during rig test is the resultant force of damping force, rebound force produced by pressed air, and friction force. Different characters of damping force, air rebound force and friction force can be applied to seperate each force from others. A massive produced air filling shock absorber is adopted for the validation. The statistic test is used to get the displacement-force curves. The data are used as the input of separation calculation. Then the tests are carried out again to obtain the force data without air rebound force. The force without air rebound is compared to the data derived from the former tests with the separation method. The result shows that this method can separate the damping force and the air elastic force.

Virtual vibration test rig for fatigue analysis of dozer push arms

To obtain accurate fatigue life results for construction machinery components,acquiring load spectra is crucial,as their authenticity and validity directly determine the precision of the analysis.In working conditions,component attitudes change continuously,but they remain static on the vibration test rig(VTR),so the acquired target signals should match with the actual component attitudes in the driving signal generation.This paper proposes an efficient and economical simulation-based virtual VTR for fatigue analysis of dozers.First,the relationship between the push arm rotation angle and the cylinder stroke is established,since the cylinder strokes can be measured easily in data acquisition experiments.Second,load decomposition is used to determine the attitude relationship between virtual VTR conditions and actual conditions,and target signals are calculated based on this attitude relationship and measured data.According to the system's frequency response function,the driving signals are iterated until the system's response signals converge with the target signals.Finally,the iteratively obtained load spectra are utilized for fatigue life analysis.The results show that the virtual VTR can effectively and accurately obtain the results of fatigue analysis and has engineering application significance.

An experimental study on the effects of friction modifiers on wheel-rail dynamic interactions with various angles of attack

By modifying friction to the desired level,the application of friction modifiers(FMs)has been considered as a promising emerging tool in the railway engineering for increasing braking/traction force in poor adhesion conditions and mitigating wheel/rail interface deterioration,energy consumption,vibration and noise.Understanding the effectiveness of FMs in wheel–rail dynamic interactions is crucial to their proper applications in practice,which has,however,not been well explained.This study experimentally investigates the effects of two types of top-of-rail FM,i.e.FM-A and FM-B,and their application dosages on wheel–rail dynamic interactions with a range of angles of attack(AoAs)using an innovative well-controlled V-track test rig.The tested FMs have been used to provide intermediate friction for wear and noise reduction.The effectiveness of the FMs is assessed in terms of the wheel–rail adhesion characteristics and friction rolling induced axle box acceleration(ABA).This study provides the following new insights into the study of FM:the applications of the tested FMs can both reduce the wheel–rail adhesion level and change the negative friction characteristic to positive;stick–slip can be generated in the V-Track and eliminated by FM-A but intensified by FM-B,depending on the dosage of the FMs applied;the negative friction characteristic is not a must for stick–slip;the increase in ABA with AoA is insignificant until stick–slip occurs and the ABA can thus be influenced by the applications of FM.

Experimental prototyping of the adhesion braking control system design concept for a mechatronic bogie

The dynamic parameters of a roller rig vary as the adhesion level changes.The change in dynamics parameters needs to be analysed to estimate the adhesion level.One of these parameters is noise emanating from wheel–rail interaction.Most previous wheel–rail noise analysis has been conducted to mitigate those noises.However,in this paper,the noise is analysed to estimate the adhesion condition at the wheel–rail contact interface in combination with the other methodologies applied for this purpose.The adhesion level changes with changes in operational and environmental factors.To accurately estimate the adhesion level,the influence of those factors is included in this study.The testing and verification of the methodology required an accurate test prototype of the roller rig.In general,such testing and verification involve complex experimental works required by the intricate nature of the adhesion process and the integration of the different subsystems(i.e.controller,traction,braking).To this end,a new reduced-scale roller rig is developed to study the adhesion between wheel and rail roller contact.The various stages involved in the development of such a complex mechatronics system are described in this paper.Furthermore,the proposed brake control system was validated using the test rig under various adhesion conditions.The results indicate that the proposed brake controller has achieved a shorter stopping distance as compared to the conventional brake controller,and the brake control algorithm was able to maintain the operational condition even at the abrupt changes in adhesion condition.

SIMULATION OF COMPLEX THERMOMECHANICAL FATIGUE

Two different types of experimental techniques to perform non-isothermal, uniax-ial and biaxial fatigue tests were described. A new miniaturised electrothermal-mechanical test rig was presented and discussed. It enables testing of small specimens under complex thermomechanical loading conditions. In order to cope with the simulation of well defined biaxial proportional and non-proportional loadings with in-phase and out-of-phase superposition of thermal loads a cruciform biaxial fatigue testing machine has been developed. Special design features of both machines, and the specimens tested, as well as typical test results were discussed.

An experimental study on flowrate and stability for 600MW supercritical steam-turbine control valve

An experimental study on flowrate and stability of a type of control valve of 600MW supercritical steam-turbine was presented by measuring instruments of static, dynamic pressure and vibration in self-designed test rig. The investigation shows that flow coefficient is 30% up more than that of the control valve of GX-1 type used widely in domestic power plants now, as small-medium lifts. If the relative lift (h/D) is less than 20%, the valve can always work steadily in all the pressure ratios. When the h/D is between 20% to 24%, big vibration of valve stem occurs if the pressure ratio is between 0.7 to 0.8. When h/D is more than 25%, relatively great vibration happens in a wide range of pressure ratios of 0.4 to 0.85.

Fretting wear of steel wires in hoisting ropes

To investigate the fretting wear of steel wires in hoisting ropes, specimenswere made of 6X19 point contact ropes. A model for the fretting ear was developed and a frettingwear test rig was deigned in laboratory. A series of experiments were performed on this test rig.The wear volume was taken as a characteristic parameter to describe the fretting wear in relation tothe contact load, reciprocating cycles and amplitude. Moreover, the wear mechanisms were discussedin the fretting process.

Bogie active stability simulation and scale rig test based on frame lateral vibration control

This paper puts forward a high-speed train bogie active stability method,based on frame lateral vibration control,for improving the stability and critical speed of railway vehicles at high speeds.Two inertial actuators apply active control forces to the front and rear end beams of the bogie frame.A scale model of bogie lateral dynamics is established,as well as the state space equation of the control system.Also,the multi-objective optimization is used to construct state feedback parameters,which take hunting stability and control effort into account.Furthermore,the effects of time-delay in the control system and suspension parameters on bogie hunting stability are studied.The dynamic behaviors and the stability mechanism of the bogie control system are analyzed.Finally,a 1:5 scale test rig is used to conduct a bogie active stability experiment.The results reveal that active control of frame lateral vibration can effectively improve the bogie system's hunting stability margin at high speeds,but time-delay in the control system cannot be ignored.

Development of a novel cycling impact–sliding wear rig to investigate the complex friction motion

In many industrial devices, impact-sliding wear is caused by a variety of complex vibrations between the contacted interfaces. Under actual conditions, impact and sliding motions do not occur in only one direction, and different complex impact-sliding motions exist on the tribology surfaces. In this study, an impact-sliding wear test rig is developed to investigate the wear effect of different complex motions. Using this rig, multi-type impact-sliding wear effects are realized and measured, such as those derived from unidirectional, reciprocating, and multi-mode combination motions. These three types of impact–sliding wear running behavior are tested and the wear damage mechanism is discussed.

Corrosion behavior and failure mechanism of SiC whisker and c-AlPO_(4) particle-modified novel tri-layer Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/mullite/SiC coating in burner rig tests

The corrosion behavior of environmental barrier coatings(EBCs)directly affects the service life and stability of ceramic matrix composite(CMC)structural parts in the aero-engines.The silicon carbide(SiC)whisker toughening phase and c-AlPO_(4) bonding phase are firstly used to improve the service life of novel tri-layer Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/mullite/SiC EBCs in the burner rig test.The formation of penetrating cracks in Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/mullite/SiC coating caused the failure of coating at 1673 K.The SiC whiskers in mullite middle coating significantly inhibited the formation of penetrating cracks in Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/mullite/SiC coating,and efficiently prevented the oxidation of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide(C_(f)/SiC)samples for 360-min thermal cycles(24 times)with a weight loss of 6.19×10^(−3) g·cm^(−2).Although c-AlPO_(4) particles further improved the service life of SiC_(w)-mullite(SM)coating,the overflow of PO_(x) gas aggravated the formation and expansion of cracks in the Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7) outer coating,and caused the service life of overall Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/c-AlPO_(4)-SiC_(w)-mullite(ASM)/SiC coating to be slightly lower than that of Yb_(2)Si_(2)O_(7)/SM/SiC coating.This study guides the design of modified tri-layer EBCs with long service life in high-temperature and high-speed gas environment.

Review of cylinder block/valve plate interface in axial piston pumps: Theoretical models,experimental investigations, and optimal design

Axial piston pumps have been widely used in aircraft hydraulic systems to supply the system with pressurized fluid. The continuous improvement of the aircraft performance has put forward the demand on aviation piston pumps for high power density, safety, and reliability. The lubricating interfaces in axial piston machines are the key design issue that greatly determines the pump performance and service life. The cylinder block/valve plate interface is one of these critical lubricating interfaces and has received considerable attention from many researchers in the last half century. This study aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on the cylinder block/valve plate interface comprehensively and systematically. First, we introduce various theoretical models developed to investigate the lubrication behaviors of the interface and compare them in terms of their assumptions and limitations. Second, the experimental studies on the cylinder block/valve plate interface are presented comprehensively, where the involved test rigs are divided into three types according to their fidelity levels and measurement functionality. Third, we summarize some typical approaches of structure optimization, surface shaping, and surface strengthening, which help improve the load-carrying and anti-wear capacities of the interface under severe operating conditions. Finally, the challenges and future trends of the cylinder block/valve plate interface research are discussed briefly.

Experimental investigation on dynamic response of flat blades with underplatform dampers

One test rig with three blades and two Under-Platform Dampers(UPDs) is established to better understand the dynamical behavior of blades with UPDs. A pre-loaded spring is used to simulate the centrifugal load acting on the damper, thereby achieving continuous adjustment of the pressing load. UPDs with different forms, sizes and materials are carefully designed as experimental control groups. Noncontact measurement via a laser Doppler velocimeter is employed and contact excitation which is performed by an electromagnetic exciter is adopted to directly obtain the magnitude of the excitation load by a force sensor mounted on the excitation rod. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the contact status of the contact surfaces, e.g. the pressure-sensitive paper is used to measure the effective contact area of the UPDs. The experimental variables are selected as the centrifugal force, the amplitude of the excitation force, the damper mass, the effective contact area, and the damper material. The Frequency Response Function(FRF) of the blade under different experimental parameters is obtained by slow frequency sweep under sinusoidal excitation to study the influence of each parameter on the dynamic characteristics of the blade and the mechanism analysis is carried out combined with the experimental results.

Development and optimization of a novel grain flow sensor based on PVDF piezoelectric film

A novel grain flow sensor consists of an impact plate and a PVDF(Polyvinylidene Fluoride)piezoelectric film was developed in this research.The kinetic model of the grain flow sensor was built to analyze the steady and transient vibration disturbances which had a significant influence on performance of the sensor,and the results showed that damping ratio of the sensor was the key factor to improve accuracy of the sensor.To maximize damping ratio of the sensor,the thickness of the impact plate and damping material were optimized according to a loss factor model of the free damping structure.The optimized results indicated the most appropriate thickness ratio of damping material and the impact plate was 6.A test rig equipped with the novel grain flow sensor and weight sensors which could simulate field situations was built to investigate the performance of the sensor,on which test experiments under different feed flows were conducted.The results showed that the maximum error of the sensor was 3.02%and the mean error was 2.15%,which revealed that the novel grain flow sensor could be used to measure grain flow.Comparing with conventional grain flow sensors,the novel grain flow sensor has the features of high accuracy,simple structure and flexible signal processing methods.