ABBREVIATED REPORT ON FREE LATERAL OSCILLATIONS IN LONG FREIGHT TRAINS

This report is an abbreviated form of a full report which has been prepared describing a study of lateral vibrations in long freight trains. A mathematical model for investigating the dynamic stability of cars in long freight trains was developed which takes into account the effects of coupler forces. The model was used to investigate the stability characteristics of a specific three-container car employed by Canadian National Railways for which dynamic stability data is available, and the model was able to predict the behavior of this car accurately. Groups containing up to sixteen cars were investigated, and the results indicate that the range of train velocities for which a long freight train will exhibit stable behavior can apparently be determined with satisfactory accuracy by consideration of individual cars free of coupling forces. The model includes the effects of creep and spin forces at the rail-wheel interface, spin forces being found to have an important effect on the determination of dynamic behavior. The lozenge stiffness of freight-car trucks was shown to be an important parameter with regards to dynamic stability. It is possible to define an optimum value of lozenge stiffness for which freight trucks of the type used in North America would be stable for all speeds of interest for freight trains. More importantly, this optimum value would also result in a well damped response of freight trucks to track irregularities in nominally straight track.

• Corporate Authors:

  Canadian Institute of Guided Ground Transport

  Queen's University
  Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Blader, F B
  • Kurtz, E F
• Publication Date: 1973-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Containers; Dynamics; Freight cars; Rail (Railroads); Train track dynamics; Trucks; Vehicle dynamics; Wheels
• Old TRIS Terms: Lozenge stiffness
• Subject Areas: Motor Carriers; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00051904
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Canadian Institute of Guided Ground Transport
• Report/Paper Numbers: #73-2
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1976 12:00AM