On the problem of the dynamical reactions of a rolling wheelset to real track irregularities

We investigate numerically the dynamical reactions of a moving wheelset model to real measured track irregularities.The background is to examine whether the dynamics are suitable as the input to the inverse problem:determine the true track geometry from measured wheelset dynamical reactions.It is known that the method works well for the vertical position of the rails but the computed lateral position is often flawed.We find that the lateral motion of the wheelset often may differ from the track geometry.The cases are investigated closely but the reasons remain unknown.While the wheelset dynamics reflect the larger(>4-6 mm)aperiodic track disturbances and single large disturbances quite well,this does not seem to be the case for general smaller or periodic track irregularities or sections behind single large disturbances.The resulting dynamics of a wheelset to lateral track irregularities are in general not sufficiently accurate to be used as the basis for a description of the track irregularities.

Refined disturbance observer based prescribed performance fixed-time control of high-speed EMS trains with track irregularities

High-speed Electromagnetic Suspension(EMS)train is continuously impacted by the irregularity of the track,which worsens the levitation performance of the train.In this paper,a composite control scheme for the EMS is proposed to suppress track irregularities by integrating a Refined Disturbance Observer(RDO)and a Prescribed Performance Fixed-Time Controller(PPFTC).The RDO is designed to estimate precisely the track irregularities and lumped disturbances with uncertainties and exogenous disturbances in the suspension system,and reduce input chattering by applying to the disturbance compensation channel.PPFTC is designed to converge the suspension air gap error to equilibrium point with prescribed performance by completing error conversion,and solve the fast dynamic issue of EMS.And the boundary of overshoot and steady-state is limited in the ranged prescribed.A theoretical analysis is conducted on the stability of the proposed control method.Finally,the effectiveness and reasonability of the proposed composite anti-disturbance control scheme is verified by simulation results.

Numerical simulation of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in ionospheric irregularities

The characteristics of high-frequency(HF)electromagnetic(EM)wave propagation can be affected when EM waves propagate in the ionosphere.When ionospheric irregularities appear in the ionosphere,they can have a serious impact on the propagation of HF EM waves.In this study,the propagation of HF EM waves in ionospheric irregularities was investigated by numerical simulation.First,a twodimensional model of plasma bubbles was used to produce ionospheric irregularities in the ionosphere.A ray-tracing method was then utilized to simulate the propagation of HF radio waves in these ionospheric irregularities.Results showed that the propagation of HF radio waves in the ionosphere was more complex in ionospheric irregularities than without ionospheric irregularities.In addition,corresponding ionograms were synthesized by radio rays propagated in the ionosphere with these irregularities.The synthesized ionograms were then compared with the experimental ionograms recorded by an ionosonde.Results showed that spread F could be simulated on the ionograms when ionospheric irregularities occurred in the ionosphere.This result was consistent with the ionosonde observations.

A brief review of equatorial ionization anomaly and ionospheric irregularities

Following a brief history and progress of ionospheric research, this paper presents a brief review of the recent developments in the understanding of two major phenomena in low and mid latitude ionosphere—the equatorial ionization anomaly(EIA) and involved equatorial plasma fountain(EPF) and ionospheric irregularities. Unlike the easy-to-understand misinterpretations, the EPF involves field perpendicular E×B plasma drift and field-aligned plasma diffusion acting together and plasma flowing in the direction of the resultant at all points along the field lines at all altitudes. The EIA is formed mainly from the removal of plasma from around the equator by the upward E×B drift creating the trough and consequently the crests with small accumulation of plasma at the crests when the crests are within ~±20° magnetic latitudes and no accumulation when they are beyond ~±25° magnetic latitudes. The strong EIA under magnetically active conditions arises from the simultaneous impulsive action of eastward prompt penetration electric field and equatorward neutral wind. Intense ionospheric irregularities develop in the post-sunset bottom-side equatorial ionosphere when it rises to high altitudes, and evolve nonlinearly into the topside. Pre-reversal enhancement(PRE) of the vertical upward E×B drift and its fluctuations amplified during PRE provide the driving force and seed, with neutral wind and gravity waves being the primary sources. At low solar activity especially in summer when fast varying PRE is absent, the slow varying gravity waves including large scale waves(LSW)seem to act as both driver and seed for weak irregularities. At mid latitudes, the irregularities are weak and associated with medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances(MSTIDs). A low latitude minimum in the occurrence of the irregularities at March equinox predicted by theoretical models is identified. The minimum occurs on the poleward side of the EIA crest and shifts equatorward from ~25° magnetic latitudes at high solar activity to below 17° at low solar activity.

Deep learning-based fault diagnostic network of high-speed train secondary suspension systems for immunity to track irregularities and wheel wear

Fault detection and isolation of high-speed train suspension systems is of critical importance to guarantee train running safety. Firstly, the existing methods concerning fault detection or isolation of train suspension systems are briefly reviewed and divided into two categories, i.e., model-based and data-driven approaches. The advantages and disadvantages of these two categories of approaches are briefly summarized. Secondly, a 1D convolution network-based fault diagnostic method for highspeed train suspension systems is designed. To improve the robustness of the method, a Gaussian white noise strategy(GWN-strategy) for immunity to track irregularities and an edge sample training strategy(EST-strategy) for immunity to wheel wear are proposed. The whole network is called GWN-EST-1 DCNN method. Thirdly, to show the performance of this method, a multibody dynamics simulation model of a high-speed train is built to generate the lateral acceleration of a bogie frame corresponding to different track irregularities, wheel profiles, and secondary suspension faults. The simulated signals are then inputted into the diagnostic network, and the results show the correctness and superiority of the GWN-EST-1DCNN method. Finally,the 1DCNN method is further validated using tracking data of a CRH3 train running on a high-speed railway line.

A measure of ionospheric irregularities:zonal velocity and its implications for L-band scintillation at low-latitudes

We estimate the zonal drift velocity of small-scale ionospheric irregularities at low latitude by leveraging the spaced-receivers technique applied to two GNSS receivers for scintillation monitoring installed along the magnetic parallel passing in Presidente Prudente(Brazil,magnetic latitude 12.8°S).The investigated ionospheric sector is ideal to study small-scale irregularities,being located close to the expected position of the southern crest of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly.The measurement campaign took place between September 2013 and February 2014,i.e.equinox and summer solstice seasons under solar maximum,during which the probability of formation of small-scale irregularities is expected to maximize.We found that the hourly average of the velocity increases up to 135 m/s right after the local sunset at ionospheric altitudes and then smoothly decreases in the next hours.Such measurements are in agreement with independent estimations of the velocity made by the Incoherent Scatter Radar located at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory(magnetic latitude 0.1°N),by the Boa Vista Ionosonde(magnetic latitude 12.0°N),and by applying a recently-developed empirical regional short-term forecasting model.Additionally,we investigated the relationship with the percentage occurrence of amplitude scintillation;we report that it is exponentially dependent on the zonal velocity of the irregularities that cause it.

Density disturbance of small-scale fieldaligned irregularities in the ionosphere heating experiments

A theoretical model which describes the small-scale irregularities excited by powerful high frequency （3–30 MHz） electromagnetic wave in ionosphere heating is investigated quantitatively in this paper. The model is based on the transport equation in magnetic plasma and mode conversion from electromagnetic wave to electrostatic wave in ionospheric modification.Threshold electric field for exciting small-scale （meter scale） irregularities and spatial spectra of irregularities are analytically calculated by this model. The results indicate that background electron density and geomagnetic field play an important role for the threshold electric field and the spatial scale of the electron density irregularities. The results demonstrate that the electric field threshold increases with the decrease of the spatial scale of the irregularities. For exciting meter scale irregularities, the threshold electric field is about tens of mV m^（-1）. The theoretical results are consistent with those of the experiments.

Global investigation of the ionospheric irregularities during the severe geomagnetic storm on September 7-8, 2017

In this study,the global effects of the severe geomagnetic storm on the Earth’s ionosphere on September5 e9,2017 with Coronal Mass Ejections(CMEs)associated with X-9.3 flares on September 6,2017 were investigated by the Rate of Total Electron Content(TEC)Index(ROTI).ROTI was used as a criterion of ionospheric irregularities that took place during the storm.This study was conducted with TEC values obtained from fifty stations connected to the International GNSS System(IGS)-GPS network for five different latitude regions.As a result,it was observed that the irregularities in the high latitude regions of the southern hemisphere were greater in number in comparison with those at the high latitude regions of the northern hemisphere during the storm.It was observed that these irregularities generally occurred during the main and recovery phases of the storm at all latitudes.The weak and moderate ionospheric irregularities that developed at high latitudes during the storm were more in the southern hemisphere.Especially,moderate ionospheric irregularities in high latitudes of both hemispheres took place in eastern longitudes(18 oE-160 oE).However,ionospheric irregularities in the mid-latitude regions were observed in more stations at the northern hemisphere than at the southern hemisphere.Generally,ionospheric irregularities during the storm developed at eastern longitudes in all sectors.

Modeling of kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities at Mars

Recently, kilometer-scale Martian ionospheric irregularities have been measured by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN) mission(Fowler et al., 2020). In this study, we carried out a simulation of these irregularities, assuming a uniform Martian zonal neutral wind and a cosinusoidal perturbation of the plasma density as the seeding source. Results show that a vertical electric field shear could be induced by such a plasma density perturbation. We find that the vertical electric field shear causes a velocity shear of the plasma between the topside and bottomside ionosphere, which in turn is able to produce kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities — irregularities of a smaller scale than were seen in previous simulations(Jiang CH et al., 2021). These kilometer-scale variations with altitude, in plasma density and magnetic field profiles, are comparable to the MAVEN observations.

Numerical Modeling of the Time Evolution of Super-Small-Scale Irregularities in the Near-Earth Rarefied Plasma

The time evolution of the magnetic field aligned super-small-scale irregularities in the concentration of charged particles, existing in the near-Earth rarefied plasma, is studied with the help of the model simulation. A new version of the two-dimensional mathematical model, developed earlier in the Polar Geophysical Institute, is utilized to investigate the temporal history of the irregularity with circular cross section, created initially in the near-Earth plasma. The utilized model is based on a numerical solution of the Vlasov-Poisson system of equations, with the Vlasov equations describing the distribution functions of charged particles and the Poisson equation governing the self-consistent electric field. The results of simulation indicate that the mobility of the positive ions ought to influence essentially on the time evolution of the super-small-scale irregularities in the concentration of charged particles, existing in the near-Earth rarefied plasma.

Irregularities and Roughness

The periodically repeated pavement irregularities and their effect on the dynamic behavior of a bridge are the subject of this paper,as well as a new point of view of how the surface roughness operates on vehicles.The au­thors observed that the models used so far accept that the wheels are always in contact with the roughness curve.But in reality the wheels only come in contact with the peaks of the roughness curve by applying impact forces.The theoretical formulation is based on a continuous approach that has been used in literature to analyze such bridge.The procedure is carried out by the modal superposition method,while the obtained equations are solved by using Duhamel’s integrals.Important conclusions for structural design purposes can be drawn through a variety of numerical examples.

Review of ionospheric irregularities and ionospheric electrodynamic coupling in the middle latitude region

This paper briefly reviews ionospheric irregularities that occur in the E and F regions at mid-latitudes. Sporadic E(ES) is a common ionospheric irregularity phenomenon that is first noticed in the E layer. ES mainly appears during daytime in summer hemispheres, and is formed primarily from neutral wind shear in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere(MLT) region. Field-aligned irregularity(FAI) in the E region is also observed by Very High Frequency(VHF) radar in mid-latitude regions. FAI frequently occurs after sunset in summer hemispheres, and spectrum features of E region FAI echoes suggest that type-2 irregularity is dominant in the nighttime ionosphere. A close relationship between ES and E region FAI implies that ES may be a possible source of E region FAI in the nighttime ionosphere. Strong neutral wind shear, steep ES plasma density gradient, and a polarized electric field are the significant factors affecting the formation of E region FAI. At mid-latitudes, joint observational experiments including ionosonde, VHF radar, Global Positioning System(GPS) stations, and all-sky optical images have revealed strong connections across different scales of ionospheric irregularities in the nighttime F region, such as spread F(SF), medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances(MSTID), and F region FAI.Observations suggest that different scales of ionospheric irregularities are generally attributed to the Perkins instability and subsequently excited gradient drift instability. Nighttime MSTID can further evolve into small-scale structures through a nonlinear cascade process when a steep plasma density gradient exists at the bottom of the F region. In addition, the effect of ionospheric electrodynamic coupling processes, including ionospheric E-F coupling and inter-hemispheric coupling on the generation of ionospheric irregularities, becomes more prominent due to the significant dip angle and equipotentiality of magnetic field lines in the mid-latitude ionosphere. Polarized electric fields can map to different ionospheric regions and excite plasma instabilities which form ionospheric irregularities. Nevertheless,the mapping efficiency of a polarized electric field depends on the ionospheric background and spatial scale of the field.

Transmission Electron Microscopy of Stacking Irregularities in Synchisite－（Ce）

Synchisite-(Ce) from the Kibina alkaline massive, Kola peninsula, Russia , has been studied using electron diffraction and lattice-images techniques. The synchisite-(Ce) with relatively ordered stacking shows a microtwin. The semirandom stacking is caused by the displacement of CO3 layers parallel to the basal planes. The irregular stacking crystals contain Ca layers adjacent to each other.The synchisite-(Ce) is considered as a polymatic mineral with short-range disorder.

Multivariate Analyses for Finding Significant Track Irregularities to Generate an Optimal Track Maintenance Schedule

We first discuss the relationship between the optimal track maintenance scheduling model and an efficient detection method for abnormal track irregularities given by the longitudinal level irregularity displacement (LLID). The results of applying the cluster analysis technique to the sampling data showed that maintenance operation is required for approximately 10% of the total lots, and these lots were further classified into three groups according to the degree of maintenance need. To analyze the background factors for detecting abnormal LLID lots, a principal component analysis was performed;the results showed that the first principal component represents LLIDs from the viewpoints of the rail structure, equipment, and operating conditions. Binomial and ordinal logit regression models (LRMs) were used to quantitatively investigate the determinants of abnormal LLIDs. Binomial LRM was used to characterize the abnormal LLIDs, whereas ordinal LRM was used to distinguish the degree of influence of factors that are considered to have a significant impact on LLIDs.

Comparison study on measurement of rail weld joint between inertial reference method and multi-point chord reference method

Purpose – Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Dueto the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth research on rail weld joint with a5-m wavelength range, leaving a significant knowledge gap in this field.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors used the well-established inertial referencemethod (IR-method), and the state-of-the-art multi-point chord reference method (MCR-method). Two methodshave been applied in different types of rail straightness measurement trollies, respectively. These instrumentswere tested in a high-speed rail section within a certain region of China. The test results were ultimatelyvalidated through using traditional straightedge and feeler gauge methods as reference data to evaluate the railweld joint straightness within the 5-m wavelength range.Findings – The research reveals that IR-method and MCR-method produce reasonably similar measurementresults for wavelengths below 1 m. However, MCR-method outperforms IR-method in terms of accuracy forwavelengths exceeding 3 m. Furthermore, it was observed that IR-method, while operating at a slower speed,carries the risk of derailing and is incapable of detecting rail weld joints and low joints within the track.Originality/value – The research compare two methods’ measurement effects in a longer wavelength rangeand demonstrate the superiority of MCR-method.

The possibility of using all-sky meteor radar to observe ionospheric E-region field-aligned irregularities

All-sky meteor radars are primarily used for meteor observations. This paper reports the first observations of ionospheric Eregion field-aligned irregularities(FAIs) from a conventional all-sky meteor radar located at Wuhan(31°N, 114°E) for the period of March–June 2018. E-region FAI echoes evident in range-time intensity(RTI) maps show quasiperiodic striations with positive and negative slopes, which are consistent with multiple FAI structures moving across the wide beam of the meteor radar. A statistical analysis shows that out of a total of 111 d, there are 73 d with E-region FAI echoes detected by the meteor radar. The FAI events correspond well with the presence of sporadic-E layers which provide the necessary plasma density gradient for the development of gradient drift instability producing FAIs. The results demonstrate the capability of conventional meteor radars to make simultaneous routine observations of meteors and ionospheric E-region FAIs through incorporating RTI and spectral analysis into the online realtime data processing. Meteor radar observations could potentially address the limitations of ionospheric radars, which cannot provide simultaneous measurements of neutral winds and irregularity structures, and thereby contribute to better understanding of the dynamical processes producing E-region irregularities.

Irregular initial solidification by mold thermal monitoring in the continuous casting of steels:A review

Occasional irregular initial solidification phenomena,including stickers,deep oscillation marks,depressions,and surface cracks of strand shells in continuous casting molds,are important limitations for developing the high-efficiency continuous casting of steels.The application of mold thermal monitoring(MTM) systems,which use thermocouples to detect and respond to temperature variations in molds,has become an effective method to address irregular initial solidification phenomena.Such systems are widely applied in numerous steel companies for sticker breakout prediction.However,monitoring the surface defects of strands remains immature.Hence,indepth research is necessary to utilize the potential advantages and comprehensive monitoring of MTM systems.This paper summarizes what is included in the irregular initial solidification phenomena and systematically reviews the current state of research on these phenomena by the MTM systems.Furthermore,the influences of mold slag behavior on monitoring these phenomena are analyzed.Finally,the remaining problems of the formation mechanisms and investigations of irregular initial solidification phenomena are discussed,and future research directions are proposed.

近海三角张力腿平台钢筋束假定失效研究

Offshore triceratops is one of the successful manifestations of the form-dominant design approaches deployable in ultra-deepwater oil and gas exploration.The deck’s geometric shape and partial isolation from the legs counteract lateral loads.Legs are position-restrained to the sea bed by taut-moored tendons,while ball joints partially isolate the deck from the buoyant legs.However,compliance in the horizontal plane imposes large displacements,intuiting the necessity to examine tendon failure.Numerical analysis of triceratops under wave and wind combined action is carried out under the postulated conditions of a tendon failure.10-yr,100-yr,and 1000-yr post-Katrina hurricane conditions are assumed as loading to the platform.Results confirm a marginal increase in the natural periods of stiff degrees of freedom even under postulated failure conditions,ensuring good adaptability to ultra-deep water.Under postulated failure,the tension of adjacent tendons varies significantly,causing a shift to the mean position of the platform.Fatigue life is significantly reduced under the postulated failure of tendons,making the platform free-floating without affecting its stability.Results also show that the pitch response of the deck is a clear manifestation of the postulated failure,which is otherwise absent due to the presence of ball joints.The attempted study deliberates on the fatigue life of tendons,assessing the platform’s suitability to ultra-deep waters and identifying the vulnerable legs for the chosen load combinations.

Dynamic analysis of axle box bearings on the high-speed train caused by wheel-rail excitation

To explore the impact of wheel-rail excitation on the dynamic performance of axle box bearings,a dynamic model of the high-speed train including axle box bearings is developed.Subsequently,the dynamic response characteristics of the axle box bearing are examined.The investigation focuses on the acceleration characteristics of bearing vibration under excitation of track irregularities and wheel flats.In addition,experiments on both normal and faulty bearings are conducted separately,and the correctness of the model and some conclusions are verified.According to the research,track irregularity is unfavorable for bearing fault detection based on resonance demodulation.Under the same speed conditions,the acceleration peak of bearing is inversely proportional to the length of the wheel flat and directly proportional to its depth.The paper will contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamic performance of axle box bearings.

Dynamic Constraint-Driven Event-Triggered Control of Strict-Feedback Systems Without Max/Min Values on Irregular Constraints

This work proposes an event-triggered adaptive control approach for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems under irregular constraints.Unlike the constraints considered in most existing papers,here the external irregular constraints are considered and a constraints switching mechanism(CSM)is introduced to circumvent the difficulties arising from irregular output constraints.Based on the CSM,a new class of generalized barrier functions are constructed,which allows the control results to be independent of the maximum and minimum values(MMVs)of constraints and thus extends the existing results.Finally,we proposed a novel dynamic constraint-driven event-triggered strategy(DCDETS),under which the stress on signal transmission is reduced greatly and no constraints are violated by making a dynamic trade-off among system state,external constraints,and inter-execution intervals.It is proved that the system output is driven to close to the reference trajectory and the semi-global stability is guaranteed under the proposed control scheme,regardless of the external irregular output constraints.Simulation also verifies the effectiveness and benefits of the proposed method.