Structure Optimization of Wheel Force Transducer Based on Natural Frequency and Comprehensive Sensitivity

The current research of wheel force transducer （WFT） mainly focuses on test signal processing and decoupling methods based on signal itself, while the WFT structure optimization research related to decreasing the mass and increase the natural frequency and comprehen- sive sensitivity is not enough. In order to improve the WFT test accuracy, a structure optimization method based on natural frequency and comprehensive sensitivity indicators is put forward. The WPT with 8-beam elastic body is used for the finite element modeling （FEM）, in which the fol- lowing variations are taken into consideration： the con- nection type of elastic body with modified rim, the number of connection holes, and the respects of strain beam including the shape, the cross sectional area and the length, etc.. The test results shows that the natural frequency of the connecting block type is increased by 65.5% compared with the connecting seat type of elastic body ＆ modified rim, and the main channel sensitivity is improved as well. The results show that the connecting block type will achieve the best comprehensive performance when the number of connecting holes between the elastic body and the modified rim is 20. And the thinner and longer strain beam with smaller cross section area is preferable within the scope of elastic body mechanical strength. This research proposes a novel structure optimization method for WFT which contributes to improve the measurement performance of WFT.

The Roll Stability Analysis of Semi-Trailer Based on the Wheel Force

It is different for the liquid tank semi-trailer to keep roll stability during turning or emergency voidance,and that may cause serious accidents.Although the scholars did lots of research about the roll stability of liquid tank semi-trailer in theory by calculating and simulation,how to make an effective early warning of rollover is still unsolved in practice.The reasons include the complex driving condition and the difficulty of the vehicle parameter obtaining.The feasible method used currently is evaluating the roll stability of a liquid tank semi-trailer by the lateral acceleration or the attitude of the vehicle.Unfortunately,the lateral acceleration is more useful for sideslip rather than rollover,and the attitude is a kind of posterior way,which means it is hard to take measures to cope with the rollover accident when the attitude exceeds the safety threshold.Considering the movement of the vehicle is totally caused by the wheel force,the rollover could also be predicted by the changing of the wheel force.Therefore,in this paper,we developed a method to analyze the roll stability by the vertical wheel force.A thorough experiment environment is established,and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified in real driving conditions.

Wheel/rail-force–based maintenance interval extension of the C80 series wagon

Purpose–This study aims to introduce the achievements and benefits of applying wheel/rail-force–based maintenance interval extension of the C80 series wagon in China.Design/methodology/approach–Chinese wagons’existing maintenance strategy had left a certain safety margin for the characteristics of widely running range,unstable service environment and submission to transportation organization requirements.To reduce maintenance costs,China railway(CR)has attempted to extend the maintenance interval since 2020.The maintenance cycle of C80 series heavy haul wagons is extended by three months(no stable routing)or 50,000 km(regular routing).However,in the meantime,the alarming rate of the running state,a key index to reflect the severe degree of hunting stability,by the train performance detection system(TPDS)for the C80 series heavy haul wagons has increased significantly.Findings–The present paper addresses a big data statistical way to evaluate the risk of allowing the C80 series heavy haul wagons to remain in operation longer than stipulated by the maintenance interval initial set.Through the maintenance and wayside-detectordata,whichis divided intothreestages,the extension period(three months),the current maintenance period and the previous maintenance period,this method reveals the alarming rate of hunting was correlated with maintenance interval.The maintainability of wagons will be achieved by utilizing wagon performance degradation modeling with the state of the wheelset and the often-contact side bearing.This paper also proposes a statistical model to return to the average safety level of the previous maintenance period’s baseline through correct alarming thresholds for unplanned corrective maintenance.Originality/value–The paper proposes an approach to reduce safety risk due to maintenance interval extension by effective maintenance program.The results are expected to help the railway company make the optimal solution to balance safety and the economy.

FEM tire model oriented to virtual experiment of off-road vehicle trafficability

In order to estimate the trafficability of off-road vehicles, the linear relationships between the pressure and the stiffness of the tire and the action of the vertical tire force with the viscoelasticity are analyzed. The method to improve the precision of the model by the coefficients is presented. The constitutive equation of the three-parameter linear model and the stiffness matrix of four-node isoparametric elements are derived to construct the FEM （finite element method） tire model in plan stress. A demarcation and verification system is designed based on the six-dimensional wheel force transducer and the vertical tire force is measured under different velocities. The results show that the model and the method proposed are reasonable.

Experimental analysis of the slip sinkage effect based on real vehicle test

To improve the semi-empirical model, the slip sinkage effect is analyzed based on the real vehicle test. A dynamic testing system is used to gain the dynamic responses of wheel-soil interactions, The Gauss-Newton algorithm is adopted to estimate the undetermined parameters involved in the slip sinkage models. Wong＇s original model is compared with three typical slip sinkage models on the prediction performance of a drawbar pull. The maximum error rate, root mean squared error and correlation coefficient are utilized to evaluate the performance. The results indicate that the slip sinkage models outperform Wong＇s model and greatly improve the prediction accuracy. Lyasko＇s model is confirmed as an outstanding one for its comprehensive performance. Hence, the existence of the slip sinkage effect is validated. Lyasko＇s model is selected as an optimal one for the practical evaluation of military vehicle trafficability.

Safety evaluation of a vehicle–bridge interaction system using the pseudo-excitation method

A method for analysing the vehicle-bridge interaction system with enhanced objectivity is proposed in the paper, which considers the time-variant and random characteristics and allows finding the power spectral densities(PSDs) of the system responses directly from the PSD of track irregularity. The pseudo-excitation method is adopted in the proposed framework, where the vehicle is modelled as a rigid body and the bridge is modelled using the finite element method. The vertical and lateral wheel-rail pseudo-excitations are established assuming the wheel and rail have the same displacement and using the simplified Kalker creep theory, respectively. The power spectrum function of vehicle and bridge responses is calculated by history integral. Based on the dynamic responses from the deterministic and random analyses of the interaction system, and the probability density functions for three safety factors(derailment coefficient, wheel unloading rate, and lateral wheel axle force) are obtained, and the probabilities of the safety factors exceeding the given limits are calculated. The proposed method is validated by Monte Carlo simulations using a case study of a high-speed train running over a bridge with five simply supported spans and four piers.

Experimental study of the wheel/rail impact caused by wheel flat within 400 km/h using full-scale roller rig

Purpose–In service,the periodic clashes of wheel flat against the rail result in large wheel/rail impact force and high-frequency vibration,leading to severe damage on the wheelset,rail and track structure.This study aims to analyze characteristics and dynamic impact law of wheel and rail caused by wheel flat of high-speed trains.Design/methodology/approach–A full-scale high-speed wheel/rail interface test rig was used for the test of the dynamic impact of wheel/rail caused by wheel flat of high-speed train.With wheel flats of different lengths,widths and depths manually set around the rolling circle of the wheel tread,and wheel/rail dynamic impact tests to the flats in the speed range of 0–400 km/h on the rig were conducted.Findings–As the speed goes up,the flat induced the maximum of the wheel/rail dynamic impact force increases rapidly before it reaches its limit at the speed of around 35 km/h.It then goes down gradually as the speed continues to grow.The impact of flat wheel on rail leads to 100–500 Hz middle-frequency vibration,and around 2,000 Hz and 6,000 Hz high-frequency vibration.In case of any wheel flat found during operation,the train speed shall be controlled according to the status of the flat and avoid the running speed of 20 km/h–80 km/h as much as possible.Originality/value–The research can provide a new method to obtain the dynamic impact of wheel/rail caused by wheel flat by a full-scale high-speed wheel/rail interface test rig.The relations among the flat size,the running speed and the dynamic impact are hopefully of reference to the building of speed limits for HSR wheel flat of different degrees.

Research of inverse mathematical model to high-speed trains

Operation safety and stability of the train mainly depend on the interaction between the wheel and rail.Knowledge of wheel/rail contact force is important for vehicle control systems that aim to enhance vehicle stability and passenger safety.Since wheel/rail contact forces of high-speed train are very difficult to measure directly,a new estimation process for wheel/rail contact forces was introduced in this work.Based on the state space equation,dynamic programming methods and the Bellman principle of optimality,the main theoretical derivation of the inversion mathematical model was given.The new method overcomes the weakness of large fluctuations which exist in current inverse techniques.High-speed vehicle was chosen as the research object,accelerations of axle box as input conditions,10 degrees of freedom vertical vibration model and 17 degrees of freedom lateral vibration model were established,respectively.Under 250 km/h,the vertical and lateral wheel/rail forces were identified.From the time domain and frequency domain,the comparison of the results between inverse and SIMPACK models were given.The results show that the inverse mathematical model has high precision for inversing the wheel/rail contact forces of an operation high-speed vehicle.

Dynamic analysis of a high-speed train operating on a curved track with failed fasteners

A high-speed train-track coupling dynamic model is used to investigate the dynamic behavior of a high-speed train operating on a curved track with failed fasteners. The model considers a high-speed train consisting of eight vehicles coupled with a ballasted track. The vehicle is modeled as a multi-body system, and the rail is modeled with a Timoshenko beam resting on the discrete sleepers. The vehicle model considers the effect of the end connections of the neighboring vehicles on the dynamic behavior. The track model takes into account the lateral, vertical, and torsional deformations of the rails and the effect of the discrete sleeper support on the coupling dynamics of the vehicles and the track. The sleepers are assumed to move backward at a constant speed to simulate the vehicle running along the track at the same speed. The train model couples with the track model by using a Hertzian contact model for the wheel/rail normal force calculation, and the nonlinear creep theory by Shen et al. (1984) is used for wheel/rail tangent force calculation. In the analysis, a curved track of 7000-m radius with failed fasteners is selected, and the effects of train operational speed and the number of failed fasteners on the dynamic behaviors of the train and the track are investigated in detail. Furthermore, the wheel/rail forces and derailment coefficient and the wheelset loading reduction are analyzed when the high-speed train passes over the curved track with the different number of continuously failed fasteners at different operational speeds. Through the detailed numerical analysis, it is found that the high-speed train can operate normally on the curved track of 7000-m radius at the speeds of 200 km/h to 350 km/h.