Dynamic modelling and analysis of a physics-driven strategy for vibration control of railway vehicles

Abstract

This work introduces a new control strategy that prioritises low computational load and ease of implementation, with the objective of enhancing the vertical suspension performance of railway vehicles. The vibration isolation technology that leverages the interaction and combination of structure, device, and control is discussed. The advantage of the combination of structure and control is investigated. The phase–frequency relationship of the control strategy and the dynamic response under various physical structural configurations are analyzed. Furthermore, a physics-driven control strategy is presented, in which the optimised structure can enhance the control effect. To verify the proposed physics-driven strategy, the fundamental mechanism between the control strategy and the physical structure is investigated, and the performance of the physics-driven strategy based on inertial suspensions is verified under modified track irregularity with periodic roughness. The results indicate that the proposed physics-driven strategy can significantly improve the vibration isolation quality. For example, the acceleration of a car body is over 10% lower than that realised with the traditional suspension. Furthermore, the physics-driven control strategy maintains the simplicity of the conventional skyhook damper control. This work proposes a new design principle for vibration control systems that has significant potential for practical applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Vibration control
• structural dynamics
• semi-active suspension
• inerter design

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this paper was supported by the MTR Research Funding Scheme [grant number PTU-23010], the Research Impact Fund of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong [grant number R5020-18], and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 52202471]. In addition, the financial support from the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Hong Kong Branch of National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Center [grant number K-BBY1] is also gratefully acknowledged.