NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF NONLINEAR STABILITY FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS

The Newton Raphson iteration and QR algorithm are combined to search the Hpf bifurcation point of the vehicle running on straight track and on large radius curved tracks. Limit cycles that are bifurcated from the equilibrium points and the saddle node bifurcation point are computed through employing a variable step Runge Kutta method and the Poincaré map. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out for the stability of a high speed passenger car operating on straight and large radius curved tracks. The influences of the radius of curvature and the superelevation of the track on the stability of the vehicle system are investigated.

A strategy for lightweight designing of a railway vehicle car body including composite material and dynamic structural optimization

Rolling stock manufacturers are finding structural solutions to reduce power required by the vehicles,and the lightweight design of the car body represents a possible solution.Optimization processes and innovative materials can be combined in order to achieve this goal.In this framework,we propose the redesign and optimization process of the car body roof for a light rail vehicle,introducing a sandwich structure.Bonded joint was used as a fastening system.The project was carried out on a single car of a modern tram platform.This preliminary numerical work was developed in two main steps:redesign of the car body structure and optimization of the innovated system.Objective of the process was the mass reduction of the whole metallic structure,while the constraint condition was imposed on the first frequency of vibration of the system.The effect of introducing a sandwich panel within the roof assembly was evaluated,focusing on the mechanical and dynamic performances of the whole car body.A mass saving of 63%on the optimized components was achieved,corresponding to a 7.6%if compared to the complete car body shell.In addition,a positive increasing of 17.7%on the first frequency of vibration was observed.Encouraging results have been achieved in terms of weight reduction and mechanical behaviour of the innovated car body.

Kinematic and Kinetic Analysis for the Tilting Mechanism of Railway Passenger Cars

The kinematics and kinetics of the tilting mechanism of railway passenger cars are studied. The parameters of the mechanism are given. The motions of the actuator, the center of gravity of the carbody and the center of coupler are calculated. Finally, the maximum driving force, output power and velocity of the actuator are discussed in detail.

Modeling and simulation of railway vehicle vertical dynamic behavior by considering the effect of passenger-carbody coupling vibration

In order to reflect the vertical random vibration characteristics of railway vehicles more truly and effectively,this paper regards the human body as a single-degree-of-freedom system attached to the bottom of the carriage,and establishes a vertical dynamic model of railway vehicles by considering the influence of the coupling vibration effect between the passenger and the car body.The correctness of the model is verified by the real vehicle test.Then,the influence of the passengers on the vertical vibration characteristics of railway vehicles is analyzed,and the influence of the railway vehicle vibration on the vertical vibration characteristics of passengers is discussed in this paper.The research made in this paper can provide an effective model reference for the analysis of the vertical random vibration characteristics of railway vehicles and passengers,and for the optimization design of the suspension system parameters.

A 2.5D finite element approach for predicting ground vibrations generated by vertical track irregularities

Dynamic responses of track structure and wave propagation in nearby ground vibration become significant when train operates on high speeds. A train-track-ground dynamic interaction analysis model based on the 2.5D finite element method is developed for the prediction of ground vibrations due to vertical track irregularities. The one-quarter car mode,1 is used to represent the train as lumped masses connected by springs. The embankment and the underlying ground are modeled by the 2.5D finite element approach to improve the computation efficiency. The Fourier transform is applied in the direction of train＇s movement to express the wave motion with a wave-number. The one-quarter car model is coupled into the global stiffness matrix describing the track-ground dynamic system with the displacement compatibility condition at the wheel-rail interface, including the irregularities on the track surface. Dynamic responses of the track and ground due to train＇s moving loads are obtained in the wave-number domain by solving the governing equation, using a conventional finite element procedure. The amplitude and wavelength are identified as two major parameters describing track irregularities. The irregularity amplitude has a direct impact on the vertical response for low-speed trains, both for short wavelength and long wavelength irregularities. Track irregularity with shorter wavelength can generate stronger track vibration both for low-speed and high-speed cases. For low-speed case, vibrations induced by track irregularities dominate far field responses. For high-speed case, the wavelength of track irregularities has very little effect on ground vibration at distances far from track center, and train＇s wheel axle weights becomes dominant.