The lateral stability of train suspension systems employing inerters

This paper investigates the benefits of lateral stability of train suspension systems employing a newly developed mechanical network element known as an inerter. An inerter was proposed as an ideal mechanical two-port element to substitute for the mass element in the mechanical/electrical analogy. As of now, inerters have been successfully applied to car and motorcycle suspension systems, for which significant performance benefits were reported. This paper discusses the improvements on lateral stability of train suspension systems employing inerters. The study was carried out in three parts. First, an existing 12 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) train model was built and verified by a multi-body-builder, AutoSim^TM. Second, inerters were applied to the train suspension system to increase the critical speed. Finally, the discussion was extended to a 16-DOF model to demonstrate the performance improvement by inerters. From the results, inerters were deemed effective in improving the lateral stability of train suspension systems.     

惯容悬挂元件对铁路车辆垂向振动的影响

惯容是一种新型的悬挂元件,其具有两个独立、自由的端点。介绍了惯容的概念以及一种机械结构的实现方式。在Matlab/Simulink中建立了含有惯容悬挂元件的铁路车辆垂向动力学仿真模型。对该模型施加脉冲和随机两种轨道不平顺激励,选取一定范围的惯容系数,分析其对车体垂向振动的影响。在随机激励下,分析了二系垂向刚度和阻尼系数变化时,惯容系数对车体垂向平稳性的影响。分析结果表明：当惯容系数取值在一定范围内时,其对车体垂向振动具有明显的抑制作用。     

Vehicle suspensions with a mechatronic network strut

This paper applies a novel mechatronic network strut to vehicle suspensions and discusses the benefits of system performance. The proposed mechatronic strut consists of a ball-screw inerter and permanent magnet electric machinery, such that the system impedance can be realised through a combination of mechanical and electrical networks. Applying the mechatronic strut to vehicle suspensions, we evaluate the improvement of system performance using passive electrical networks. Furthermore, a prototype mechatronic strut is constructed for properties verification. Finally, nonlinearities of the mechatronic strut are taken into account to modify the suspension design. From the simulation and experimental results, the proposed mechatronic network strut is shown to be effective.     

The performance improvements of train suspension systems with mechanical networks employing inerters

This paper investigates the performance benefits of train suspension systems employing a new mechanical network element called an inerter. An inerter is a true mechanical two-terminal element with the applied force proportional to the relative acceleration across the terminals. Until now, ideal inerters have been applied to car and motorcycle suspension systems, for which a significant performance improvement was reported. In this paper, we discuss the performance benefits of train suspension systems employing inerters. The study was carried out in three phases. First, fixed suspension structures were applied to train suspension systems, and optimised for two performance measures. Secondly, this optimisation was further carried out using linear matrix inequality approaches to discuss the achievable performance of passive networks. The resulting networks can then be realised by synthesis methods, such as the Brune and Bott–Duffin realisation. Finally, the nonlinear properties of inerter models and their impact on system performance were discussed. From the results, the inerter was deemed effective in improving the performance of train suspension systems.