Formation Stiffness Measurement of a Train Track Interaction System

Railways are very important to our society due to their efficiency and reduced environmental effects.A system for the measurement of the condition of the formation on which a permanent way(pairs of rails laid on sleepers)is located is investigated in this work.This will allow effective asset management and reduce the costs of rail maintenance.Areas where the formation is either weak or changes rapidly present problems when maintaining a section of the track due to poor track geometry.Formation stiffness is a difficult parameter to measure and requires extensive research efforts.In this work a train-track interaction problem is investigated with a quarter train track model,which consists of a coach,bogie and wheel.The train-irregularity model is developed which computes the train response to irregularities,such as the deflection by stiffness changes.Using this train–irregularity model,the effects of train speed on the wheel/rail interaction force over the stiffness changes are studied and the track stiffness is also analysed,which will be used in future analysis to calculate the actual stiffness of the track when using laser measurement techniques.

Development of a simulation model for dynamic derailment analysis of high-speed trains

The running safety of high-speed trains has become a major concern of the current railway research with the rapid development of high-speed railways around the world.The basic safety requirement is to prevent the derailment.The root causes of the dynamic derailment of highspeed trains operating in severe environments are not easy to identify using the field tests or laboratory experiments.Numerical simulation using an advanced train–track interaction model is a highly efficient and low-cost approach to investigate the dynamic derailment behavior and mechanism of high-speed trains.This paper presents a three-dimensional dynamic model of a high-speed train coupled with a ballast track for dynamic derailment analysis.The model considers a train composed of multiple vehicles and the nonlinear inter-vehicle connections.The ballast track model consists of rails,fastenings,sleepers,ballasts,and roadbed,which are modeled by Euler beams,nonlinear spring-damper elements,equivalent ballast bodies,and continuous viscoelastic elements,in which the modal superposition method was used to reduce the order of the partial differential equations of Euler beams.The commonly used derailment safety assessment criteria around the world are embedded in the simulation model.The train–track model was then used to investigate the dynamic derailment responses of a high-speed train passing over a buckled track,in which the derailmentmechanism and train running posture during the dynamic derailment process were analyzed in detail.The effects of train and track modelling on dynamic derailment analysis were also discussed.The numerical results indicate that the train and track modelling options have a significant effect on the dynamic derailment analysis.The inter-vehicle impacts and the track flexibility and nonlinearity should be considered in the dynamic derailment simulations.

Optimal control strategy for energy saving in trains under the four-aspect fixed autoblock system

This paper deals with both the leading train and the following train in a train tracking under a four-aspect fixed autoblock system in order to study the optimum operating strategy for energy saving. After analyzing the working principle of the four-aspect fixed autoblock system, an energy-saving control model is created based on the dynamics equation of the Wains. In addition to safety, energy consumption and time error are the main concerns of the model. Based on this model, dynamic speed constraints of the following train are proposed, defined by the leading gain dynamically. At the same time, the static speed constraints defined by the line conditions are also taken into account. The parallel genetic algorithm is used to search the optimum operating strategy. In order to simplify the solving process, the external punishment function is adopted to transform this problem with constraints to the one without constraints. By using the real number coding and the strategy of dividing ramps into three parts, the convergence of GA is accelerated and the length of chromosomes is shortened. The simulation result from a four-aspect fixed autoblock system simulation platform shows that the method can reduce the energy consumption effectively in the premise of ensuring safety and punctuality.

Mechanical characteristic variation of ballastless track in highspeed railway:effect of train–track interaction and environment loads

Due to the fact that ballastless tracks in highspeed railways are not only subjected to repeated train–track dynamic interaction loads,but also suffer from complex environmental loads,the fundamental understanding of mechanical performance of ballastless tracks under sophisticated service conditions is an increasingly demanding and challenging issue in high-speed railway networks.This work aims to reveal the effect of train–track interaction and environment loads on the mechanical characteristic variation of ballastless tracks in high-speed railways,particularly focusing on the typical interface damage evolution between track layers.To this end,a finite element model of a double-block ballastless track involving the cohesive zone model for the track interface is first established to analyze the mechanical properties of the track interface under the loading–unloading processes of the negative temperature gradient load(TGL)followed by the same cycle of the positive TGL.Subsequently,the effect of wheel–rail longitudinal interactions on the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the track interface is investigated by using a vehicle-slab track vertical-longitudinal coupled dynamics model.Finally,the influence of dynamic water pressure induced by vehicle dynamic load on the mechanical characteristics and damage evolution of the track interface is elucidated using a fluid–solid coupling method.Results show that the loading history of the positive and negative TGLs has a great impact on the nonlinear development and distribution of the track interface stress and damage;the interface damage could be induced by the wheel–rail longitudinal vibrations at a high vehicle running speed owing to the dynamic amplification effect caused by short wave irregularities;the vehicle dynamic load could produce considerable water pressure that presents nonlinear spatial–temporal characteristics at the track interface,which would lead to the interface failure under a certain condition due to the coupled dynamic effect of vehicle load and water pressure.

Dynamic Characteristics of Tracked Vehicle Power Train Considering Road Random Torsional Excitation

The road random torsional excitation is one type of torque rooted from the road roughness and vehicle drive system. This paper aims to study how the road random torsional excitation affects the dynamic characteristics of vehicle power train. The method of simulating the random torsional excitation of tracked vehicle is explored at first. Secondly,the road random torsional excitations under different road roughness,vehicle speeds and pre-tensions are obtained. Thirdly,the dynamic analysis model of tracked vehicle power train is constructed with the consideration of the road random torsional excitation. Eventually,the influences of this excitation on output torque,bearing support force,vibration acceleration and dynamic shear stress of transmission shafts are intensively studied.The research conclusions are helpful to correct and refine the present virtual prototype of tracked vehicle power train.

Dynamic performance of heavy-haul combined train applying emergency braking on straight line

A heavy-haul train-track coupled model is developed. Taking the emergency braking of the 2×104 t combined train as example, the train longitudinal impulse, the coupler dynamic behaviors and wheel-rail interactions of vehicles distributing in the different positions are analyzed. The results indicate that under the coupler compressing forces, the couplers of middle locomotives may tilt to the free swing limits, which induces the unidirectional tilt of their connected wagon couplers. Consequently, the coupler longitudinal forces produce the lateral components, and then affect the wheel-rail dynamic interaction. The performance of the middle locomotive and their neighboring freight wagons deteriorate significantly, becoming the most dangerous parts in the combined train. The wagons disconnecting with the locomotives can basically keep their couplers to stabilize in the centering positions, even though the maximum coupler longitudinal force acts on it. And its corresponding running safety also has little changes.

Japan on Track for Second Maanetic Train

Japan’s famous magnetic levitation train, Maglev,has a rival that couldbe operated sooner. A system run by a subsidiary of Japan Airlines will startrunning commercially in 1999 on a track near Yokohama. Like Maglev, theHigh Speed Surface Transport (HSST) will be supported and propelled by mag-nets, though they will be in different configuration.