Multibody dynamics modelling of the freight train bogie system

Previous work in the railway technology laboratory at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) focused on better capturing the dynamics of the friction wedge, modelled using three-dimensional rigid body dynamics with unilateral contact conditions. The current study extends the previous work to a half-bogie model treated as an application of multibody dynamics with unilateral contact to model the friction wedge interactions with the bolster and the sideframe. The half-bogie model was derived using MATLAB and functions as a three dimensional, dynamic, and multibody dynamics model comprised of four rigid bodies: a bolster, two friction wedges, and a sideframe assembly. This expanded model allows each wedge four degrees of freedom: vertical displacement, longitudinal displacement (between the bolster and sideframe), pitch (rotation around the lateral axis), and yaw (rotation around the vertical axis). The bolster and the sideframe are constrained to have only the vertical degree of freedom. The geometry of these bodies can be adjusted for various simulation scenarios. The bolster can be initialised with a pre-defined yaw (rotation around the vertical axis) and the sideframe may be initialised with a pre-defined pitch/toe (rotation around the lateral axis). The results of the multibody dynamics in half-bogie model simulation are shown in comparison with results from NUCARS^®, an industry standard in train-modelling software, for similar inputs.     

A nonlinear virtual rider for motorcycles

This work presents a virtual rider for the guidance of a nonlinear motorcycle model. The target motion is defined in terms of roll angle and speed. The virtual rider inputs are the steering torque, the rear-wheel driving/braking torque and front-wheel braking torque. The virtual rider capability is assessed by guiding the nonlinear motorcycle model in demanding manoeuvres with roll angles of 50° and longitudinal accelerations up to 0.8 g. Considerations on the effective preview distance used by the virtual rider are included.     

On the equivalent wheelbase of a three-axle vehicle

The steady-state handling properties of a rigid vehicle with a tandem rear axle configuration are developed. This work uses conventions resulting in a parsimonious characterisation of steady-state handling of such three-axle vehicles that is shown to be a simple extension of the well-known two-axle bicycle model. Specifically the concepts of understeer and wheelbase are developed for a three-axle vehicle, and shown to play the same role in characterising vehicle handling as they do in the well-known two-axle vehicle model. An equivalent wheelbase of a three-axle vehicle is expressed in terms of vehicle geometry and cornering stiffness of each axle. The model developed in this work is reconciled with previous models that make use of simplifying assumptions found in the literature.     

Fault classification method for the driving safety of electrified vehicles

A fault classification method is proposed which has been applied to an electric vehicle. Potential faults in the different subsystems that can affect the vehicle directional stability were collected in a failure mode and effect analysis. Similar driveline faults were grouped together if they resembled each other with respect to their influence on the vehicle dynamic behaviour. The faults were physically modelled in a simulation environment before they were induced in a detailed vehicle model under normal driving conditions. A special focus was placed on faults in the driveline of electric vehicles employing in-wheel motors of the permanent magnet type. Several failures caused by mechanical and other faults were analysed as well. The fault classification method consists of a controllability ranking developed according to the functional safety standard ISO 26262. The controllability of a fault was determined with three parameters covering the influence of the longitudinal, lateral and yaw motion of the vehicle. The simulation results were analysed and the faults were classified according to their controllability using the proposed method. It was shown that the controllability decreased specifically with increasing lateral acceleration and increasing speed. The results for the electric driveline faults show that this trend cannot be generalised for all the faults, as the controllability deteriorated for some faults during manoeuvres with low lateral acceleration and low speed. The proposed method is generic and can be applied to various other types of road vehicles and faults.     

Total dynamic response of a PSS vehicle negotiating asymmetric road excitations

A planar suspension system (PSS) is a novel automobile suspension system in which an individual spring–damper strut is implemented in both the vertical and longitudinal directions, respectively. The wheels in a vehicle with such a suspension system can move back and forth relative to the chassis. When a PSS vehicle experiences asymmetric road excitations, the relative longitudinal motion of wheels with respect to the chassis in two sides of the same axle are not identical, and thus the two wheels at one axle will not be aligned in the same axis. The total dynamic responses, including those of the bounce, pitch and the roll of the PSS vehicle, to the asymmetric road excitation may exhibit different characteristics from those of a conventional vehicle. This paper presents an investigation into the comprehensive dynamic behaviour of a vehicle with the PSS, in such a road condition, on both the straight and curved roads. The study was carried out using an 18 DOF full-car model incorporating a radial-spring tyre–ground contact model and a 2D tyre–ground dynamic friction model. Results demonstrate that the total dynamic behaviour of a PSS vehicle is generally comparable with that of the conventional vehicle, while PSS exhibits significant improvement in absorbing the impact forces along the longitudinal direction when compared to the conventional suspension system. The PSS vehicle is found to be more stable than the conventional vehicle in terms of the directional performance against the disturbance of the road potholes on a straight line manoeuvre, while exhibiting a very similar handling performance on a curved line.     

Simultaneous observation of the wheels’ torques and the vehicle dynamic state

The goal of the present study is to show how it is possible to estimate online the individual torques applied at each wheel of an automotive vehicle by using an unknown input observer together with a simple nonlinear state-space model. The necessary measurements are the steering angle, the usual rotation speed of each wheel plus the vertical load at the centre of each wheel. By doing this, this study anticipates the affordability of a new generation of wheel bearing with embedded measurements of transmitted forces. Successful simulated experimentations using a realistic simulator are shown. Validations are done using classical case studies of longitudinal, lateral and coupled dynamics. The present limits and some possible improvements of the proposed method are also discussed.     

Decoupled 3D moment control using in-wheel motors

Vehicles equipped with in-wheel motors are being studied and developed as a type of electric vehicle. Since these motors are attached to the suspension, a large vertical suspension reaction force is generated during driving. Based on this mechanism, this paper describes the development of a method for independently controlling roll and pitch as well as yaw using driving force distribution control at each wheel. It also details the theoretical calculation of a method for decoupling the dynamic motions. Finally, it describes the application of these 3D dynamic motion control methods to a test vehicle and the confirmation of the performance improvement.     

The effects of wheelset driving system suspension parameters on the re-adhesion performance of locomotives

In this study, in order to examine the effects of a wheelset driving system suspension parameters on the re-adhesion performance of locomotives, the stick–slip vibration was analysed according to theoretical and simulation analysis. The decrease of the slip rate vibration amplitude improved the stability of the stick–slip vibration and the re-adhesion performance of locomotives. Increasing the longitudinal guide stiffness of the wheelset and the motor suspension stiffness were proposed as effective measures to improve the re-adhesion performance of locomotives. These results showed that the dynamic slip rate was inversely proportional to the series result of the square root of the longitudinal guide and motor suspension stiffness. The larger the motor suspension stiffness was, the smaller the required longitudinal guidance stiffness was at the same re-adhesion time once the wheel slip occurred, and vice versa. The simulation results proved that the re-adhesion time of the locomotive was approximately proportional to amplitude of the dynamic slip rate. When the stick–slip vibration occurred, the rotary and the longitudinal vibrations of the wheelset were coupled, which was confirmed by train's field tests.     

用Morlet小波变换研究舰船横摇垂荡耦合特性

本文探索了用小波变换方法对舰船横摇垂荡非线性耦合动力学特性的研究.对于考虑与垂荡二次耦合的舰船横摇方程,用Morlet小波变换分析其摇摆响应动力学特性,研究分析了船舶在几种典型波浪中的状况:稳定区域中的横摇回复和稳态横摇;非稳定区域的横摇发散;以及混沌现象.研究表明,通过小波变换所特有的时频窗,对横摇响应小波变换系数的模和相等信息进行分析,可以获得船舶横摇-垂荡耦合非线性动力学幅值和频率的各种典型特征.     

抗蛇行减振器对机车运行品质的影响

借助虚拟样机技术和ADAMS/Rail软件,针对国内某型电力机车建立了机车系统详细的动力学仿真模型。利用动力学仿真工具,对抗蛇行减振器的特性进行分析,研究其参数变化、失效等对机车运行性能的影响,得出其规律。