Measurements and simulations of rail vehicle dynamics with respect to overturning risk

Abstract

Rail vehicles are exposed to strong lateral influences through curves, track imperfections and crosswind leading to large deflections of the vehicle suspension systems and carbody displacements. In turn, this increases the risk of vehicle overturning. In the present work, multibody simulations are performed in order to study the motion in the secondary suspension. Suspension deflection measurements on a fast test train were carried out and used for validation of the simulations. The simulations show good agreement with the measurements and represent a good tool to predict the motion in the secondary suspension.

Keywords:

• rail vehicle dynamics
• overturning risk
• crosswind
• suspension modelling
• multibody simulations
• field measurements

Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the VINNOVA Centre of Excellence for ECO² Vehicle Design as part of the project ‘Crosswind stabilty and unsteady aerodynamics in vehicle design’. The displacement measurements were carried out on the test train of the Swedish project ‘Gröna Tåget’ by Interfleet Technology AB. General wind data were delivered by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). CFD data were provided by Ben Diedrichs within the VINNOVA Centre of Excellence for ECO² Vehicle Design.