Dynamic simulation of train–truck collision at level crossings

Trains crashing onto heavy road vehicles stuck across rail tracks are more likely occurrences at level crossings due to ongoing increase in the registration of heavy vehicles and these long heavy vehicles getting caught in traffic after partly crossing the boom gate; these incidents lead to significant financial losses and societal costs. This paper presents an investigation of the dynamic responses of trains under frontal collision on road trucks obliquely stuck on rail tracks at level crossings. This study builds a nonlinear three-dimensional multi-body dynamic model of a passenger train colliding with an obliquely stuck road truck on a ballasted track. The model is first benchmarked against several train dynamics packages and its predictions of the dynamic response and derailment potential are shown rational. A geometry-based derailment assessment criterion is applied to evaluate the derailment behaviour of the frontal obliquely impacted trains under different conditions. Sensitivities of several key influencing parameters, such as the train impact speed, the truck mass, the friction at truck tyres, the train–truck impact angle, the contact friction at the collision zone, the wheel/rail friction and the train suspension are reported.     

The mechanism for the coupler and draft gear and its influence on safety during a train collision

A mechanical model of the coupler and draft gear was established to study the mechanism during an intercity train collision. The model includes four rigid bodies, one spherical joint, two nonlinear torsion spring units and two nonlinear hysteresis units. Simulation and test results show that the axial characteristics of the model are reasonable and the model can reasonably simulate the pitching movement of the coupler. The influence of the coupler and draft gear on the collision behaviour of the train is analysed considering a four-section intercity train. The results show that during the collision process, the amount of compression of the middle coupler is an important factor influencing the pitching deflection angle. The pitching motion posture of the coupler changes with the initial pitching deflection angle, but the initial pitching deflection angle has little effect on its yawing deflection angle. When the pitching angle of the middle coupler is elevated, as the elevation angle increases, the derailment risk of the ‘A’ end bogie of the previous vehicle increases, whereas the risk of derailment of the ‘B’ end bogie of the subsequent vehicle decreases. When the pitching angle of the middle coupler is depressed, the derailment trends for the front and rear bogies exhibit the opposite trend from that of the elevation angle. As the train collision speed increases, the pitching motion of the middle coupler is limited to forcing a yawing motion, causing the yawing deflection angle to increase sharply, which causes the wheel–rail lateral force to increase rapidly. From this, the derailment risk of the bogie increases, which further causes large displacement lateral buckling of the train. An anti-lateral buckling device can limit the yawing deflection angle of the middle coupler, preventing lateral buckling from large displacement and decreasing the risk of derailment.     

Influence of polygonal wear of railway wheels on the wheel set axle stress

The coupled vehicle/track dynamic model with the flexible wheel set was developed to investigate the effects of polygonal wear on the dynamic stresses of the wheel set axle. In the model, the railway vehicle was modelled by the rigid multibody dynamics. The wheel set was established by the finite element method to analyse the high-frequency oscillation and dynamic stress of wheel set axle induced by the polygonal wear based on the modal stress recovery method. The slab track model was taken into account in which the rail was described by the Timoshenko beam and the three-dimensional solid finite element was employed to establish the concrete slab. Furthermore, the modal superposition method was adopted to calculate the dynamic response of the track. The wheel/rail normal forces and the tangent forces were, respectively, determined by the Hertz nonlinear contact theory and the Shen–Hedrick–Elkins model. Using the coupled vehicle/track dynamic model, the dynamic stresses of wheel set axle with consideration of the ideal polygonal wear and measured polygonal wear were investigated. The results show that the amplitude of wheel/rail normal forces and the dynamic stress of wheel set axle increase as the vehicle speeds rise. Moreover, the impact loads induced by the polygonal wear could excite the resonance of wheel set axle. In the resonance region, the amplitude of the dynamic stress for the wheel set axle would increase considerably comparing with the normal conditions.     

Simulation of dynamic interaction between train and railway turnout

Dynamic train–track interaction is more complex in railway turnouts (switches and crossings) than that in ordinary tangent or curved tracks. Multiple contacts between wheel and rail are common, and severe impact loads with broad frequency contents are induced, when nominal wheel–rail contact conditions are disturbed because of the continuous variation in rail profiles and the discontinuities in the crossing panel. The absence of transition curves at the entry and exit of the turnout, and the cant deficiency, leads to large wheel–rail contact forces and passenger discomfort when the train is switching into the turnout track. Two alternative multibody system (MBS) models of dynamic interaction between train and a standard turnout design are developed. The first model is derived using a commercial MBS software. The second model is based on a multibody dynamics formulation, which may account for the structural flexibility of train and track components (based on finite element models and coordinate reduction methods). The variation in rail profile is accounted for by sampling the cross-section of each rail at several positions along the turnout. Contact between the back of the wheel flange and the check rail, when the wheelset is steered through the crossing, is considered. Good agreement in results from the two models is observed when the track model is taken as rigid.     

Establishment and verification of three-dimensional dynamic model for heavy-haul train–track coupled system

For the long heavy-haul train, the basic principles of the inter-vehicle interaction and train–track dynamic interaction are analysed firstly. Based on the theories of train longitudinal dynamics and vehicle–track coupled dynamics, a three-dimensional (3-D) dynamic model of the heavy-haul train–track coupled system is established through a modularised method. Specifically, this model includes the subsystems such as the train control, the vehicle, the wheel–rail relation and the line geometries. And for the calculation of the wheel–rail interaction force under the driving or braking conditions, the large creep phenomenon that may occur within the wheel–rail contact patch is considered. For the coupler and draft gear system, the coupler forces in three directions and the coupler lateral tilt angles in curves are calculated. Then, according to the characteristics of the long heavy-haul train, an efficient solving method is developed to improve the computational efficiency for such a large system. Some basic principles which should be followed in order to meet the requirement of calculation accuracy are determined. Finally, the 3-D train–track coupled model is verified by comparing the calculated results with the running test results. It is indicated that the proposed dynamic model could simulate the dynamic performance of the heavy-haul train well.     

智能汽车自动紧急转向避撞的跟踪控制方法对比研究

为了提高智能汽车的主动安全性,提出3种不同的自动紧急转向避撞跟踪控制方法。首先建立汽车避撞简化模型,对制动、转向及两者相结合的3种不同避撞方式进行对比分析。其次,为深入研究汽车避撞过程中的实际响应,建立包含转向、制动及悬架3个子系统耦合特性的底盘18自由度统一动力学模型,并进行相关试验验证。随后构建智能汽车自动紧急转向避撞控制框架,对五次多项式参考路径和七次多项式参考路径的横摆角速度和横摆角加速度进行对比分析。接着以线性2自由度转向动力学模型为参考对象,对最优控制四轮转向、最优控制前轮转向、前馈与反馈控制相结合的前轮转向3种不同的跟踪控制系统分别进行设计。最后,以汽车底盘18自由度统一动力学模型为研究对象,对上述3种避撞控制系统进行仿真试验对比分析。研究结果表明：与制动避撞相比而言,转向避撞所需的纵向距离有较大降低,随着车速的增加和路面附着系数的越低,效果越明显;七次多项式参考路径比五次多项式参考路径的避撞过渡过程更为平缓,当实际车速与控制器所用车速不一致时,前者避撞性能表现更优;最优四轮转向控制系统在高、低2种不同附着路面都具有较好的避撞效果,最优前轮转向控制系统次之,而前馈与反馈相结合的前轮转向控制系统在低附着路面上则表现出严重的失稳。     

Simulation of dynamic interaction between train and railway turnout

Dynamic train-track interaction is more complex in railway turnouts (switches and crossings) than that in ordinary tangent or curved tracks. Multiple contacts between wheel and rail are common, and severe impact loads with broad frequency contents are induced, when nominal wheel-rail contact conditions are disturbed because of the continuous variation in rail profiles and the discontinuities in the crossing panel. The absence of transition curves at the entry and exit of the turnout, and the cant deficiency, leads to large wheel-rail contact forces and passenger discomfort when the train is switching into the turnout track. Two alternative multibody system (MBS) models of dynamic interaction between train and a standard turnout design are developed. The first model is derived using a commercial MBS software. The second model is based on a multibody dynamics formulation, which may account for the structural flexibility of train and track components (based on finite element models and coordinate reduction methods). The variation in rail profile is accounted for by sampling the cross-section of each rail at several positions along the turnout. Contact between the back of the wheel flange and the check rail, when the wheelset is steered through the crossing, is considered. Good agreement in results from the two models is observed when the track model is taken as rigid.     

Investigation of the effects of sleeper-passing impacts on the high-speed train

The sleeper-passing impact has always been considered negligible in normal conditions, while the experimental data obtained from a High-speed train in a cold weather expressed significant sleeper-passing impacts on the axle box, bogie frame and car body. Therefore, in this study, a vertical coupled vehicle/track dynamic model was developed to investigate the sleeper-passing impacts and its effects on the dynamic performance of the high-speed train. In the model, the dynamic model of vehicle is established with 10 degrees of freedom. The track model is formulated with two rails supported on the discrete supports through the finite element method. The contact forces between the wheel and rail are estimated using the non-linear Hertz contact theory. The parametric studies are conducted to analyse effects of both the vehicle speeds and the discrete support stiffness on the sleeper-passing impacts. The results show that the sleeper-passing impacts become extremely significant with the increased support stiffness of track, especially when the frequencies of sleeper-passing impacts approach to the resonance frequencies of wheel/track system. The damping of primary suspension can effectively lower the magnitude of impacts in the resonance speed ranges, but has little effect on other speed ranges. Finally, a more comprehensively coupled vehicle/track dynamic model integrating with a flexible wheel set is developed to discuss the sleeper-passing-induced flexible vibration of wheel set.     

Three-dimensional override analysis of crashed railway multiple units

Override simulations of two train units in frontal collision have been carried out using multi-body dynamics. The aim of this paper is to investigate the possible factors influencing the overriding behaviour throughout frontal collisions. In addition to the initial vertical offset defined in the standard EN 15227, the pitching motion of vehicles has a great effect on the overriding phenomenon. It depends on several factors, such as collision mass, pitching frequency, height of the centre of mass above the rail level. In this paper, it has been shown that the overriding phenomenon is more sensitive to variations in pitching frequency and height of the centre of mass, compared with the factor of the collision mass. Moreover, it has been demonstrated from simulation results that a 200-kN vertical force is required for the combined anti-climber devices (100 kN for each side anti-climber) to constrain the vertical relative motion between crashed train units.     

Dynamic responses of a high-speed railway car due to wheel polygonalisation

The polygonal wear around the wheel circumference could pose highly adverse influences on the wheel/rail interactions and thereby the performance of the vehicle system. In this study, the effects of wheel polygonalisation on the dynamic responses of a high-speed rail vehicle are investigated through development and simulations of a comprehensive coupled vehicle/track dynamic model. The model integrates flexible slab track, wheelsets and axle boxes subsystem models so as to account for elastic deformations caused by impact loads induced by the wheel polygonalisation. A field-test programme was undertaken to acquire the polygonal wear profile and axle box acceleration response of a high-speed train, and the data are used to demonstrate the validity of the coupled vehicle/track system model. Subsequently, the effects of wheel polygonalisation are evaluated in terms of wheel/rail impact forces, axle box vertical acceleration and dynamic stress developed in the axle considering different amplitudes and harmonic orders of the polygonal wear. The results suggest that the high-order wheel polygonalisation can give rise to high-frequency impact loads at the wheel/rail interface, and excite some of the vibration modes of the wheelset and the axle box leading to high-magnitude axle box acceleration and dynamic stress in the wheelset axle.     

The role of the contact geometry in wheel–rail impact due to wheel flats: Part II

A classification of wheel flats according to the different stages of their growth is given, along with the characteristic features of the dynamic wheel–rail interaction for each category. Mathematical expressions and frequency spectra of the corresponding wheel mass trajectories are derived. Difference is made between the subcritical and the transcritical speed regime. A criterion is derived for contact loss for worn flats. Simulations show that the dynamic wheel–rail interaction is governed by the track stiffness for low train speeds or long flat lengths; for high speeds and/or short flat lengths the interaction is governed by the inertial properties of the wheel and the rail. For a given flat geometry, nonlinearities in the relationship between the impact magnitude and the train speed occur in the stiffness-dominated speed domain, whereas this relationship is approximately linear in the inertia-governed domain. In the latter domain, the impact magnitude is found to be linearly dependent upon the maximum trajectorial curvature or inversely linearly dependent on the minimum circumferential wheel tread curvature. The above relationships are valid for the subcritical speed regime, in which no contact loss occurs. Different contributions from the literature are compared with respect to the established relationship between impact magnitude and speed. Significant differences are found, due to insufficiently defined parameters and conditions. Conditions are derived for a consistent application of the so-called equivalent rail indentation in experiments with wheel flats, and the indirect strain registration method for measuring dynamic wheel–rail contact forces is reviewed.     

队列车辆碰撞严重性及车队排布策略

针对自动驾驶车辆队列发生不可避免碰撞的事故场景,研究以整体碰撞严重性达到最低为目标的车队排布策略.首先根据引发事故的障碍物是否会明显影响领航车运动,将碰撞划分为队内碰撞和队外碰撞.队列几何构型一定时,针对均质化队列发生一维碰撞过程建立理论模型,计入碰撞前车辆对前车紧急制动的感应及自车进行紧急制动的过程,计算并定义时间截...     

Energy Dissipation Due to Vehicle/Track Interaction

The effects of track irregularities and wheel profile on the amount of energy dissipated in railroad freight vehicles is examined. A nonlinear computational model is used to determine the average dissipation in the vehicle suspension and the wheel/rail contact patches. This dissipation is a component of the total resistance force acting on the vehicle. Parametric results are presented showing the effects of track geometry, wheel profile, suspension design, and hunting on train resistance. Track geometry studies consider the effects of track quality and curving. The AAR 1:20 wheel profile and the Heumann wheel profile are compared under various operating conditions. Compared with the Heumann profile, the AAR 1:20 profile is shown to have lower average resistance on good quality tangent track, but higher average resistance in steady curves. A trade-off exists between the two profiles when dynamic curve entry is considered.     

Energy Dissipation Due to Vehicle/Track Interaction

SUMMARY

The effects of track irregularities and wheel profile on the amount of energy dissipated in railroad freight vehicles is examined. A nonlinear computational model is used to determine the average dissipation in the vehicle suspension and the wheel/rail contact patches. This dissipation is a component of the total resistance force acting on the vehicle. Parametric results are presented showing the effects of track geometry, wheel profile, suspension design, and hunting on train resistance. Track geometry studies consider the effects of track quality and curving. The AAR 1:20 wheel profile and the Heumann wheel profile are compared under various operating conditions. Compared with the Heumann profile, the AAR 1:20 profile is shown to have lower average resistance on good quality tangent track, but higher average resistance in steady curves. A trade-off exists between the two profiles when dynamic curve entry is considered.     

A numerical study of the derailment caused by collision of a rail vehicle using a virtual testing model

This study investigated the wheel-lift and roll-over derailment mechanisms caused by train collisions using a precise virtual testing model (VTM) of a Korean high-speed train. The VTM was a complex, nonlinear finite element model composed of the shell, beam, solid, spring, and surface contact elements for the car body, bogies, suspensions, and wheel–rail interfaces. The VTM was validated by checking the errors in the total energy and the dynamic responses of the spring elements. To achieve a quick, dynamic relaxation of the dead weight of the VTM before the collision analysis, the artificial damping method and the artificial force method were introduced and numerically evaluated. The surface-to-surface contact model from commercial software, Ls-Dyna, was applied to the VTM in order to simulate the derailment mechanisms caused by collision accidents. The numerical analyses of the VTM colliding with a large deformable obstacle or a rigid wall revealed for the first time that a mixed slip/roll-over-type derailment mechanism generally occurs. Furthermore, the simulation results were consistent with the results from a simplified theoretical derailment model of a wheel set.     

4WD汽车应用粘性联轴器分析

粘性联轴器这一新装置以其独有的特性在四轮驱动汽车上得到广泛应用，粘性联轴器一经确定结构，即可通过转速差自动调节传递转矩的特性，分析了四轮驱动汽车采用粘性联轴器的可能性，介绍了采用粘性联轴器连接的四轮驱动形式和工作原理，阐述了汽车速度，轮胎滑移率对粘性联轴器转速差的影响。     

An investigation on wheel/rail impact dynamics with a three-dimensional flat model

Wheel flat is one kind of railway train wheelset defects. It has great influence on wheel/rail dynamics and damages. In most of the presented studies, wheel/rail impact velocity or rolling radius variation of the wheel because of flat spot was taken into account to study the wheel/rail impact dynamics. In this paper, a three-dimensional wheel flat model considering the length, width and depth of the flat spot is established. Including the wheel rotation and wheel/rail contact geometry, a high-speed vehicle–rail coupling system dynamics model is developed to investigate the effect of the wheel flat on the wheel/rail dynamics. With time integration method of the models, the impact dynamics of the wheel/rail system with three types of flat width and five kinds of flat length are obtained. The results show that the width, the length of the wheel flat and the width/length ratio have a great influence on the wheel/rail impact dynamics. The wheel/rail impact dynamics of the flat with large width is more severe than with small width as the flat length is fixed. When a flat spot occurs, the permissible length of the wheel defect, needless to action, is 25?mm in maximum. The speed safety domain with three kinds of flat width/length ratio of a vehicle is obtained according to the wheel/rail vertical force limitation.     

Coupler dynamic performance analysis of heavy haul locomotives

In this paper, a train dynamic model was developed to study the dynamic performance of heavy haul locomotives, taking into account the use of different coupler and buffer systems under conditions of severe longitudinal coupler compressive forces. The model consists of four locomotives each having 38 independent degrees of freedom and one dummy freight vehicle connected to each other by couplers and buffers. Simulation results showed that the longitudinal coupler compressive forces withstood by large rotation angle couplers with coupler shoulders were larger than those withstood by small rotation angle couplers. The results obtained for the large rotation angle coupler model showed that it had higher safety curve negotiation speeds. Due to the smaller static impedance, it was found that large capacity elastic clay (or cement) buffers cannot satisfy the requirement of heavy haul locomotives during cycle braking in long heavy downgraded tracks; the use of friction clay buffers can solve this problem.     

An investigation into the mechanism of the polygonal wear of metro train wheels and its effect on the dynamic behaviour of a wheel/rail system

This paper presents a detailed investigation conducted into the mechanism of the polygonal wear of metro train wheels through extensive experiments conducted at the sites. The purpose of the experimental investigation is to determine from where the resonant frequency that causes the polygonal wear of the metro train wheels originates. The experiments include the model tests of a vehicle and its parts and the tracks, the dynamic behaviour test of the vehicle in operation and the observation test of the polygonal wear development of the wheels. The tracks tested include the viaducts and the tunnel tracks. The structure model tests show that the average passing frequency of a polygonal wheel is approximately close to the first bending resonant frequency of the wheelset that is found by the wheelset model test and verified by the finite element analysis of the wheelset. Also, the dynamic behaviour test of the vehicle in operation indicates the main frequencies of the vertical acceleration vibration of the axle boxes, which are dominant in the vertical acceleration vibration of the axle boxes and close to the passing frequency of a polygonal wheel, which shows that the first bending resonant frequency of the wheelset is very exciting in the wheelset operation. The observation test of the polygonal wear development of the wheels indicates an increase in the rate of the polygonal wear of the wheels after their re-profiling. This paper also describes the dynamic models used for the metro vehicle coupled with the ballasted track and the slab track to analyse the effect of the polygonal wear of the wheels on the wheel/rail normal forces.     

Coupler rotation behaviour and its effect on heavy haul trains

When a locomotive coupler rotates at an angle, the lateral component of the coupler force has an adverse effect on the locomotive's safety, particularly in heavy haul trains. In this paper, a model of a head-mid configuration, a 20,000-t heavy haul train is developed to analyse the rotation behaviour of the locomotive's coupler system and its effect on the dynamic behaviour of such a train's middle locomotive when operating on tangent and curved tracks. The train model includes detailed coupler and draft gear with which to consider the hysteretic characteristics of the rubber draft gear model, the friction characteristics of the coupler knuckles, and the alignment-control characteristics of the coupler shoulder. The results indicate that the coupler's rotation behaviour differs between the tangent and curved tracks, significantly affecting the locomotive's running performance under the braking condition. A larger coupler rotation angle generates a larger lateral component, which increases the wheelset's lateral force and the derailment coefficient. Decreasing the maximum coupler free angle can improve the locomotive's operational performance and safety. Based on these results, the recommended maximum coupler free angle is 4°.