PROGRAM MULTI: A MULTI-PURPOSE PROGRAM FOR COMPUTING AND GRAPHING ROOTS AND VALUES FOR ANY REAL FUNCTION. USERS/PROGRAMMERS MANUAL

As part of its activity under the Rail Equipment Safety Project, computer programs for track/train dynamics analysis are being developed and modified. As part of this effort, derailment behavior of trains negotiating curves under buff or draft has been investigated. To determine how critical car and train parameters affect actual stability of various train buckling modes, a generalized multi-purpose computer programs has been developed that can be used to compute and graph cross sections of any surface in space, or to compute and graph the roots of any equation and any function of these roots. It can be used for a variety of applications, including the graphing of multi-valued functions whose branches are not known beforehand. This capability is unique among graphing programs, and it greatly facilitates that analysis of any system with multiple equilibrium branches. The program is especially suited for computing the branches and investigating the stability of nonlinear finite-degree of freedom systems subjected to static loads. The program is oriented towards systems with one or two degrees of freedom, but it can also handle additional degrees of freedom and any number of parametric variables.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Research was sponsored by the FRA, Office of Research and Development.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142
• Authors:
  • BRANTMAN, R
• Publication Date: 1976-5

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: 56 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer graphics; Computer programs; Derailments; Mathematical analysis; Stability (Mechanics); Steering; Train operations; Train track dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Slack action
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00147712
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Railroad Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/OR&D-76-143 Final Rpt.
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 16 1977 12:00AM