GENERAL MODELS FOR LATERAL STABILITY ANALYSES OF RAILWAY FREIGHT VEHICLES

The report presents the development of general analytical models for use in exploring the nature of freight car hunting and for finding means of controlling the hunting behavior. These models result from one aspect of the Freight Car Dynamics research project conducted by Clemson and Arizona State Universities in cooperation with the Association of American Railroads. First, a model of a wheelset with lateral, yaw, and axle torsional degrees of freedom is developed. Secondly, two such wheelsets are included in a general model of a 9 degree of freedom truck that has lateral, yaw, and warp degrees of freedom in addition to relative lateral and yaw motions of the wheelsets with respect to the truck frame. By suitable choices of primary suspension elements, this general model may be specialized to become (1) a roller-bearing freight truck, (2) a plain-bearing freight truck, (3) a roller-bearing truck with primary suspension elements, (4) a passenger truck, (5) a generic model of a freight truck with interconnected wheelsets, or (6) a rigid truck. Finally, two such truck models are combined with a car body that has lateral, yaw, and roll rigid body degrees of freedom plus two degrees of freedom that serve to approximate the first lateral bending and torsional modes. For all three models, the effects of design parameters on the critical speed for hunting are examined.

• Record URL:
  https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/general-models-lateral-stability-analyses-railway-freight-vehicles
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared in cooperation with Association of American Railroads, Chicago, Ill. Technical Center and Arizona State Univ., Tempe. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. See also PB-252 290.
• Corporate Authors:

  Clemson University

  Department of Mechanical Engineering
  Clemson, SC  United States  29631

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Arizona State University, Tempe

  Department of Mechanical Engineering
  Tempe, AZ  United States  85281

  Association of American Railroads Research Center

  3140 South Federal Street
  Chicago, IL  United States  60616
• Authors:
  • Law, E H
  • Hadden, J A
  • Cooperrider, N K
• Publication Date: 1977-6-15

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 229 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer programs; Constraints; Critical velocity; Degrees of freedom; Design; Dislocation (Geology); Dynamics; Freight cars; Geometry; Hunting (Dynamics); Kinematics; Mathematical models; Railroad cars; Railroad tracks; Stability (Mechanics); Suspension systems; Train track dynamics; Trucks; Vehicle design; Vehicle dynamics; Wheels; Wheelsets (Railroads); Yaw
• Uncontrolled Terms: Lateral dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Critical speed; Freight car design; Freight car dynamics
• Subject Areas: Design; Motor Carriers; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00167302
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-77/36 Intrm Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-OS-40018
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 23 1978 12:00AM