Multi-Body Dynamics Modeling of Heavy Goods Vehicle-Rail Interaction

Based on the principle of vehicle-track coupling dynamics, SIMPACK multi-body dynamics software is used to establish a C80 wagon line-coupled multi-body dynamics model with 73 degrees of freedom. And the reasonableness of the line-coupled dynamics model is verified by using the maximum residual acceleration, the nonlinear critical speed of the wagon. The experimental results show that the established vehicle line coupling dynamics model meets the requirements of vehicle line coupling dynamics modeling.

On the Polygonal Wear Evolution of Heavy-Haul Locomotive Wheels due to Wheel/Rail Flexibility and Its Mitigation Measures

Wheel polygonal wear can immensely worsen wheel/rail interactions and vibration performances of the train and track,and ultimately,lead to the shortening of service life of railway components.At present,wheel/rail medium-or high-frequency frictional interactions are perceived as an essential reason of the high-order polygonal wear of railway wheels,which are potentially resulted by the flexible deformations of the train/track system or other external excitations.In this work,the effect of wheel/rail flexibility on polygonal wear evolution of heavy-haul locomotive wheels is explored with aid of the long-term wheel polygonal wear evolution simulations,in which different flexible modeling of the heavy-haul wheel/rail coupled system is implemented.Further,the mitigation measures for the polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels are discussed.The results point out that the evolution of polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels can be veritably simulated with consideration of the flexible effect of both wheelset and rails.Execution of mixed-line operation of heavy-haul trains and application of multicut wheel re-profiling can effectively reduce the development of wheel polygonal wear.This research can provide a deep-going understanding of polygonal wear evolution mechanism of heavy-haul locomotive wheels and its mitigation measures.

Measured dynamic load distribution within the in situ axlebox bearing of high-speed trains under polygonal wheel–rail excitation

The dynamic load distribution within in-service axlebox bearings of high-speed trains is crucial for the fatigue reliability assessment and forward design of axlebox bearings. This paper presents an in situ measurement of the dynamic load distribution in the four rows of two axlebox bearings on a bogie wheelset of a high-speed train under polygonal wheel–rail excitation. The measurement employed an improved strain-based method to measure the dynamic radial load distribution of roller bearings. The four rows of two axlebox bearings on a wheelset exhibited different ranges of loaded zones and different means of distributed loads. Besides, the mean value and standard deviation of measured roller–raceway contact loads showed non-monotonic variations with the frequency of wheel–rail excitation. The fatigue life of the four bearing rows under polygonal wheel–rail excitation was quantitatively predicted by compiling the measured roller–raceway contact load spectra of the most loaded position and considering the load spectra as input.

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.

Influence of railway wheel tread damage on wheel-rail impact loads and the durability of wheelsets

Dynamic wheel-rail contact forces induced by a severe form of wheel tread damage have been measured by a wheel impact load detector during full-scale field tests at different vehicle speeds.Based on laser scanning,the measured three-dimensional damage geometry is employed in simulations of dynamic vehicle-track interaction to calibrate and verify a simulation model.The relation between the magnitude of the impact load and various operational parameters,such as vehicle speed,lateral position of wheel-rail contact,track stiffness and position of impact within a sleeper bay,is investigated.The calibrated model is later employed in simulations featuring other forms of tread damage;their effects on impact load and subsequent fatigue impact on bearings,wheel webs and subsurface initiated rolling contact fatigue of the wheel tread are assessed.The results quantify the effects of wheel tread defects and are valuable in a shift towards condition-based maintenance of running gear,and for general assessment of the severity of different types of railway wheel tread damage.

A critical review of wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue of railway bogie in China

Purpose–This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.Design/methodology/approach–Vibration fatigue of railway bogie arising from the wheel/rail high frequency vibration has become the main concern of railway operators.Previous reviews usually focused on the formation mechanism of wheel/rail high frequency vibration.This paper thus gives a critical review of the vibration fatigue of railway bogie owing to the short-pitch irregularities-induced high frequency vibration,including a brief introduction of short-pitch irregularities,associated high frequency vibration in railway bogie,typical vibration fatigue failure cases of railway bogie and methodologies used for the assessment of vibration fatigue and research gaps.Findings–The results showed that the resulting excitation frequencies of short-pitch irregularity vary substantially due to different track types and formation mechanisms.The axle box-mounted components are much more vulnerable to vibration fatigue compared with other components.The wheel polygonal wear and rail corrugation-induced high frequency vibration is the main driving force of fatigue failure,and the fatigue crack usually initiates from the defect of the weld seam.Vibration spectrum for attachments of railway bogie defined in the standard underestimates the vibration level arising from the short-pitch irregularities.The current investigations on vibration fatigue mainly focus on the methods to improve the accuracy of fatigue damage assessment,and a systematical design method for vibration fatigue remains a huge gap to improve the survival probability when the rail vehicle is subjected to vibration fatigue.Originality/value–The research can facilitate the development of a new methodology to improve the fatigue life of railway vehicles when subjected to wheel/rail high frequency vibration.

Research on fault time prediction method for high speed rail BTM unit based on multi method interactive validation

The Balise Transmission Module(BTM)unit of the on-board train control system is a crucial component.Due to its unique installation position and complex environment,this unit has a higher fault rate within the on-board train control system.To conduct fault prediction for the BTM unit based on actual fault data,this study proposes a prediction method combining reliability statistics and machine learning,and achieves the fusion of prediction results from different dimensions through multi-method interactive validation.Firstly,a method for predicting equipment fault time targeting batch equipment is introduced.This method utilizes reliability statistics to construct a model of the remaining faultless operating time distribution considering uncertainty,thereby predicting the remaining faultless operating probability of the BTM unit.Secondly,considering the complexity of the BTM unit’s fault mechanism,the small sample size of fault cases,and the potential presence of multiple fault features in fault text records,an individual-oriented fault prediction method based on Bayesian-optimized Gradient Boosting Regression Tree(Bayes-GBRT)is proposed.This method achieves better prediction results compared to linear regression algorithms and random forest regression algorithms,with an average absolute error of only 0.224 years for predicting the fault time of this type of equipment.Finally,a multi-method interactive validation approach is proposed,enabling the fusion and validation of multi-dimensional results.The results indicate that the predicted fault time and the actual fault time conform to a log-normal distribution,and the parameter estimation results are basically consistent,verifying the accuracy and effectiveness of the prediction results.The above research findings can provide technical support for the maintenance and modification of BTM units,effectively reducing maintenance costs and ensuring the safe operation of high-speed railway,thus having practical engineering value for preventive maintenance.

Improved lateral-dynamics-intended railway vehicle model involving nonlinear wheel/rail interaction and car body flexibility

To study the vehicle hunting behavior and its coupling with car body vibrations,a simplified lateral-dynamics-intended railway vehicle model is developed.A two-truck vehicle is modeled as a 17 degrees-of-freedom rigid system,into which the car body flexural vibrations of torsion and bending modes are further integrated.The wheel/rail interaction employs a real-time calculation for the Hertzian normal contact,in which the nonlinear curvatures of wheel and rail profiles are presented as functions of wheelset lateral movement and/or yaw rotation.Then the tangential/creep forces are analytically expressed as the Hertzian contact patch geometry,and lead to a continuous and fast calculation compared to a look-up table interpolation.It is shown that the hunting frequencies of the vehicle model and a truck model differ significantly,which verifies the necessity of the whole vehicle model.In the case of low wheel/rail conicity,the hunting frequency increases linearly with vehicle speed,whereas it rises slowly at high speed for a large conicity.Comparison of hunting frequency and damping ratio between various conicities shows that first hunting(car body hunting)may occur when the vehicle is operated at a low speed in a small conicity case,while a second hunting(truck hunting)appears when the vehicle is operated at a high speed in a large conicity case.Stability analysis of linear and nonlinear vehicle models was carried out through coast down method and constant speed simulations.Results tell that the linear one overestimates the lateral vibrating.Whereas the structural vibrations of car body can be ignored in the stability analysis.Compared to existing simplified models for hunting stability study,the proposed simplified vehicle model released limitations in the nonlinear geometries of wheel/rail profiles,and it is suitable for a frequency-domain analysis by deriving the analytical expressions of the normal and tangential wheel/rail contact forces.

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.

Comparative study on wheel-rail dynamic interactions of side-frame cross-bracing bogie and sub-frame radial bogie

Improving freight axle load is the most effective method to improve railway freight capability; based on the imported technologies of railway freight bogie, the 27 t axle load side-frame cross-bracing bogie and sub-frame radial bogie are developed in China. In order to analyze and compare dynamic interactions of the two newly developed heavy-haul freight bogies, we establish a vehi- cle-track coupling dynamic model and use numerical calculation methods for computer simulation. The dynamic performances of the two bogies are simulated separately at various conditions. The results show that at the dipped joint and straight line running conditions, the wheel-rail dynamic interactions of both bogies are basically the same, but at the curve negotiation condition, the wear and the lateral force of the side-frame cross-bracing bogie are much higher than that of the sub-frame radial bogie, and the advantages become more obvious when the curve radius is smaller. The results also indicate that the sub- frame radial bogie has better low-wheel-rail interaction characteristics.

State-of-Arts of Mechanics of Rolling Contact and Its Application to Analysis of the Interactions between Wheel and Rail

A few typical models of theory on rolling contact of bodies are reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages in the applications to the dynamics of railway vehicles and the wheel/rail rolling contact are discussed in detail in the present paper.

Beam-track interaction of high-speed railway bridge with ballast track

Based on the construction bridge of Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed railway(9-32 m simply-supported beam + 6×32 m continuous beam),the pier-beam-track finite element model,where the continuous beam of the ballast track and simply-supported beam are combined with each other,was established.The laws of the track stress,the pier longitudinal stress and the beam-track relative displacement were analyzed.The results show that reducing the longitudinal resistance can effectively reduce the track stress and the pier stress of the continuous beam,and increase the beam-track relative displacement.Increasing the rigid pier stiffness of continuous beam can reduce the track braking stress,increase the pier longitudinal stress and reduce the beam-track relative displacement,Increasing the rigid pier stiffness of simply-supported beam can reduce the track braking stress,the rigid pier longitudinal stress and the beam-track relative displacement.

Spatial Interaction and Network Structure Evolvement of Cities in Terms of China's Rail Passenger Flows

Cities separated in space are connected together by spatial interaction (SI) between them. But the studies focusing on the SI are relatively few in China mainly because of the scarcity of data. This paper deals with the SI in terms of rail passenger flows, which is an important aspect of the network structure of urban agglomeration. By using a data set consisting of rail O-D (origin-destination) passenger flows among nearly 200 cities, intercity rail distance O-D matrixes, and some other indices, it is found that the attenuating tendency of rail passenger is obvious. And by the analysis on dominant flows and spatial structure of flows, we find that passenger flows have a trend of polarizing to hubs while the linkages between hubs upgrade. However, the gravity model reveals an overall picture of convergence process over time which is not in our expectation of integration process in the framework of globalization and economic integration. Some driven factors for the re-organization process of the structure of urban agglomeration, such as technique advance, globalization, etc. are discussed further based on the results we obtained.

Sensitive factors research for track-bridge interaction of Long-span X-style steel-box arch bridge on high-speed railway

X-style arch bridge on high-speed railways(HSR)is one kind of complicated long-span structure,and the track-bridge interaction is essential to ensure the safety and smoothness of HSR.Taking an X-style steel-box arch bridge with a main span of450 m on HSR under construction for example,a new integrative mechanic model of rail-stringer-cross beam-suspenderpier-foundation coupling system was established,adopting the nonlinear spring element simulating the longitudinal resistance between track and bridge.The transmission law of continuous welded rail(CWR)on the X-style arch bridge was researched,and comparative study was carried out to discuss the influence of several sensitive factors,such as the temperature load case,the longitudinal resistance model,the scheme of longitudinal restraint conditions,the introverted inclination of arch rib,the stiffness of pier and abutment and the location of the rail expansion device.Calculating results indicate that the longitudinal resistance has a significant impact upon the longitudinal forces of CWR on this kind of bridge,while the arch rib’s inclination has little effect.Besides,temperature variation of arch ribs and suspenders should be taken into account in the calculation.Selecting the restraint system without longitudinally-fixed bearing and setting the rail expansion devices on both ends are more reasonable.

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.

Influence of the Randomness of Longitudinal Resistance of Ballast Bed on Track-Bridge Interaction

To get the influence of the randomness of longitudinal resistance of ballast bed (LRBB) on track-bridge interaction, the statistical law of LRBB was studied with existing test data and the Shapiro-Wilk test. Based on the principle of track-bridge interaction, a rail-sleeper-bridge-pier integrated simulation model that could consider the randomness of LRBB was established. Taking a continuous beam bridge for the heavy-haul railway as an example, the effect of the randomness of LRBB on the mechanical behavior of continuous welded rail (CWR) on bridges under typical conditions was carefully examined with a random sampling method and the simulation model. The results show that the LRBB corresponding sleeper displacement of 2 mm obeys a normal distribution. When the randomness of LRBB is considered, the amplitudes of rail expansion force, rail bending force, rail braking force and rail broken gap all follow normal distribution. As the standard deviations of the four indexes are small, which indicates the randomness of LRBB has little effect on track-bridge interaction. The distributions of the four indexes make it possible to design CWR on bridges with the limit state method.

Running safety assessment method of trains under seismic conditions based on the derailment risk domain

The accurate assessment of running safety during earthquakes is of significant importance for ensuring the safety of railway lines.Currently,assessment methods based on a single index suffer from issues such as misjudgment of operational safety and difficulty in evaluating operational margin,making them unsuitable for assessing train safety during earthquakes.Therefore,in order to propose an effective evaluation method for the running safety of trains during earthquakes,this study employs three indexes,namely lateral displacement of the wheel–rail contact point,wheel unloading rate,and wheel lift,to describe the lateral and vertical contact states between the wheel and rail.The corresponding evolution characteristics of the wheel–rail contact states are determined,and the derailment forms under different frequency components of seismic motion are identified through dynamic numerical simulations of the train–track coupled system under sine excitation.The variations in the wheel–rail contact states during the transition from a safe state to the critical state of derailment are analyzed,thereby constructing the evolutionary path of train derailment and seismic derailment risk domain.Lastly,the wheel–rail contact and derailment states under seismic conditions are analyzed,thus verifying the effectiveness of the evaluation method for assessing running safety under earthquakes proposed in this study.The results indicate that the assessment method based on the derailment risk domain accurately and comprehensively reflects the wheel–rail contact states under seismic conditions.It successfully determines the forms of train derailment,the risk levels of derailment,and the evolutionary paths of derailment risk.

Parametric investigation of railway fastenings into the formation and mitigation of short pitch corrugation

Short pitch corrugation has been a problem for railways worldwide over one century.In this paper,a parametric investigation of fastenings is conducted to understand the corrugation formation mechanism and gain insights into corrugation mitigation.A three-dimensional finite element vehicle-track dynamic interaction model is employed,which considers the coupling between the structural dynamics and the contact mechanics,while the damage mechanism is assumed to be differential wear.Various fastening models with different configurations,boundary conditions,and parameters of stiffness and damping are built up and analysed.These models may represent different service stages of fastenings in the field.Besides,the effect of train speeds on corrugation features is studied.The results indicate:(1)Fastening parameters and modelling play an important role in corrugation formation.(2)The fastening longitudinal constraint to the rail is the major factor that determines the corrugation formation.The fastening vertical and lateral constraints influence corrugation features in terms of spatial distribution and wavelength components.(3)The strengthening of fastening constraints in the longitudinal dimension helps to mitigate corrugation.Meanwhile,the inner fastening constraint in the lateral direction is necessary for corrugation alleviation.(4)The increase in fastening longitudinal stiffness and damping can reduce the vibration amplitudes of longitudinal compression modes and thus reduce the track corrugation propensity.The simulation in this work can well explain the field corrugation in terms of the occurrence possibility and major wavelength components.It can also explain the field data with respect to the small variation between the corrugation wavelength and train speed,which is caused by frequency selection and jump between rail longitudinal compression modes.

A Train-Bridge Dynamic Interaction Analysis Method and Its Experimental Validation

The train-bridge dynamic interaction problem began with the development of railway technology, and requires an evaluation method for bridge design in order to ensure the safety and stability of the bridge and the running train. This problem is studied using theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental study. In the train-bridge dynamic interaction system proposed in this paper, the train vehicle model is established by the rigid-body dynamics method, the bridge model is established by the finite element method, and the wheel/rail vertical and lateral interaction are simulated by the corresponding assumption and the Kalker linear creep theory, respectively. Track irregularity, structure deformation, wind load, collision load, structural damage, foundation scouring, and earthquake action are regarded as the excitation for the system. The train-bridge dynamic interaction system is solved by inter-history iteration. A case study of the dynamic response of a CRH380BL high-speed train running through a standard-design bridge in China is discussed. The dynamic responses of the vehicle and of the bridge subsystems are obtained for speeds ranging from 200 km-b-1 to 400 km.h-1, and the vibration mechanism are analyzed.

Wheel-rail Profiles Matching Design Considering Railway Track Parameters

The profile of wheel/rail has great concern with the vehicle running safety, the wheel/rail wear and the rolling contact fatigue between wheel and rail, due to its severer impact on the dynamic behavior of both the railway vehicle/track, and the wheel/rail rolling contact status. However, recent studies in this respect are mainly explored in reverse methods, where track parameters are predetermined and invariable during the optimizing process. This paper attempts to propose a wheel-rail profiles matching design method considering multi-parameter, through optimizing wheel/rail profile under different rail cants and track gauges, based on the existed optimization technology for the normal gap of wheel/rail. The method presented in this paper can also, compared with the prior reverse methods, be called ＂forward solution method＂ in which the riding comfort, wheel unloading rate and wheel/rail contact stress of the speed-up railway passenger car are calculated by means of a vehicle-track coupling dynamic model, with the range of the rail cant varying from 1/20 to 1/40 and the rail gauge from 1 433 mm to 1 441 mm. These results show that the distribution status of the pairs of contact points can be obviously improved and the contact stress can be reduced significantly; a great influence is exposed by the rail cant and track gauge on the dynamic behavior of the high speed passenger car, and an optimal vehicle dynamics behavior are obtained with the optimized wheel/rail profile when the rail cant is 1/30 and the track gauge is 1 435 mm. This research can provide important references for the investigation of the wheel-rail profiles matching design method considering multi-parameter.