TESTS ON THE TRACK ON THE RIDING STABILITY AND THE GUIDING QUALITY OF VEHICLES BY MEANS OF A SPECIAL VEHICLE EVALUATION OF RAIL-WHEEL CONTACT THEORY BY EXPERIMENTS

A mathematical model describing the generation of the lateral motions of railway vehicles can be derived. This model is a useful qualitative description; the poor quantitative results must be attributed to a linear description of the non-linear phenomenon of the wheel-rail contact. The contact forces are characterised in the model by the contact area geometry and the creep coefficients, for which explicit expressions can be derived theoretically for simple geometry. However, the validity of these results in the case of worn wheel and rail surfaces needs experimental investigation. This can successfully be done by a simulation of the lateral motions with a hybrid computer model, using the measured rail position as input. Model adjustment, by a variation of creep coefficient and other uncertain parameters, yields the parameter values for which an optimal correspondence between model output and measured vehicle response is reached. This adjustment has been carried out for different tracks and velocities. The results indicate that many small parameters can indeed be omitted from the model. The optimal value for the equivalent conicity is equal to the value for small disturbances. A dependence has been found in the estimates of creep coefficients and gravitational stiffness, but omission of the gravitational stiffness effect is inadmissible. The good correspondence which was obtained between the theoretical and experimental motions of a bogie justifies the conclusion that the model adjustment technique is well suited to the investigation of the behaviour of railway vehicles.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Restrictions on the use of this document are contained in the explanatory material.
• Corporate Authors:

  International Union of Railways

  Office of Research and Experiments
  Utrecht,   Netherlands 
• Publication Date: 1976-4

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 41 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car wheels (Railroads); Creep; Dynamics; Force; Mathematical models; Motor vehicles; Railroad rails; Stability (Mechanics); Train track dynamics; Trucks; Wear; Wheels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Lateral dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Creep coefficient; Question b52; Truck dynamics
• Subject Areas: Motor Carriers; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00053183
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: International Union of Railways
• Report/Paper Numbers: B52/RP 4/E Final Rpt.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 17 1976 12:00AM