A non-Hertzian method for solving wheel–rail normal contact problem taking into account the effect of yaw

A novel approach is proposed in this paper to deal with non-Hertzian normal contact in wheel–rail interface, extending the widely used Kik–Piotrowski method. The new approach is able to consider the effect of the yaw angle of the wheelset against the rail on the shape of the contact patch and on pressure distribution. Furthermore, the method considers the variation of profile curvature across the contact patch, enhancing the correspondence to CONTACT for highly non-Hertzian contact conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed method can provide more accurate estimation than the original algorithm compared to Kalker’s CONTACT, and that the influence of yaw on the contact results is significant under certain circumstances.     

车身侧倾时前轮主销后倾角对转向稳定性的影响

为了提高4×4越野车弯道高速行驶的稳定性,计及前轮定位参数的影响,建立了转向行驶时整车4自由度动力学模型;计算了车辆在不同车速下,不同前轮主销后倾角时的横摆角速度瞬态响应.结果表明,车速提高时,横摆角速度超调量增大,稳定时间延长;而在适当范围内增大主销后倾角,可减小横摆角速度超调量和稳定时间,改善高速行驶车辆的转向稳定性.同时说明主销后倾角对横摆角速度超调量有阻尼作用.     

不同风向角和地面条件下的列车空气动力性能分析

高速列车大都采用电动车组的方式,轴重越来越轻,在强横风中极有可能造成车辆的倾覆。而在不同风向角和地面条件下列车的气动性能也会发生变化。采用大型流场计算软件FLUENT6．0 对列车在不同风向角下的气动力系数进行了计算,分别对列车在平坦路面上、路堤上以及桥梁上3种情况进行了数值模拟。计算结果表明:头车在平地上受到的侧滚力矩较大,而中间车在桥梁上受到的侧滚力矩较大。     

On the sway stability improvement of car–caravan systems by articulated connections

The present analysis is addressed to some promising connection arrangements between the towing vehicles and the towed trailers, where the two units are linked by four-bar isosceles trapeziums in place of the conventional pintle hitch. Two types of instability, of the divergent type or the oscillating type, may be analysed by the Routh–Hurwitz criterion or by the direct analysis of the characteristic equation. The constant term of this equation vanishes at the divergent instability threshold (zero of a real root), whereas the equation splits into two lower degree algebraic ‘sub-equations’ when the oscillating instability arises (pair of pure imaginary roots). A large field of geometrical configurations of the four-bar linkage may be quickly tested by numerical search procedures, including those where the sidebars of the linkage converge towards the inside of the drawing car and shift the relative centre of rotation forward, and those converging backward towards the trailer. Maps of the critical velocity as a function of the geometrical or physical parameters may be easily traced. They clearly show the favourable influence of the forward four-bar connection in general and the benefits achievable comparing with the conventional coupling. Actually, it is conceivable to increase the critical speed by optimising the four-bar design depending on the weight distribution on the axles and on the other geometrical and physical properties. Moreover, this type of connection may produce significant corrections to the under-steering or over-steering conduct of the articulated vehicle. The off-tracking and the manoeuvrability along curved paths are also studied, showing the benefits or the drawbacks of the four-bar linkage for the various configurations.     

A novel vehicle dynamics stability control algorithm based on the hierarchical strategy with constrain of nonlinear tyre forces

Direct yaw moment control (DYC), which differentially brakes the wheels to produce a yaw moment for the vehicle stability in a steering process, is an important part of electric stability control system. In this field, most control methods utilise the active brake pressure with a feedback controller to adjust the braked wheel. However, the method might lead to a control delay or overshoot because of the lack of a quantitative project relationship between target values from the upper stability controller to the lower pressure controller. Meanwhile, the stability controller usually ignores the implementing ability of the tyre forces, which might be restrained by the combined-slip dynamics of the tyre. Therefore, a novel control algorithm of DYC based on the hierarchical control strategy is brought forward in this paper. As for the upper controller, a correctional linear quadratic regulator, which not only contains feedback control but also contains feed forward control, is introduced to deduce the object of the stability yaw moment in order to guarantee the yaw rate and side-slip angle stability. As for the medium and lower controller, the quantitative relationship between the vehicle stability object and the target tyre forces of controlled wheels is proposed to achieve smooth control performance based on a combined-slip tyre model. The simulations with the hardware-in-the-loop platform validate that the proposed algorithm can improve the stability of the vehicle effectively.     

机车车体抗蛇行减振器座结构模块化设计

机车车体抗蛇行减振器安装座是一重要的疲劳受力部件,文章针对该部件在以往运行中所出现的问题,总结不同的结构方案进行计算分析和设计比较,并通过对较优方案的重新设计,达到该部件的模块化设计目的。     

A new formulation of the understeer coefficient to relate yaw torque and vehicle handling

The handling behaviour of vehicles is an important property for its relation to performance and safety. In 1970s, Pacejka did the groundwork for an objective analysis introducing the handling diagram and the understeer coefficient. In more recent years, the understeer concept is still mentioned but the handling is actively managed by direct yaw control (DYC). In this paper an accurate analysis of the vehicle handling is carried out, considering also the effect of drive forces. This analysis brings to a new formulation of the understeer coefficient, which is almost equivalent to the classical one, but it can be obtained by quasi-steady-state manoeuvres. In addition, it relates the vehicle yaw torque to the understeer coefficient, filling up the gap between the classical handling approach and DYC. A multibody model of a Formula SAE car is then used to perform quasi-steady-state simulations in order to verify the effectiveness of the new formulation. Some vehicle set-ups and wheel drive arrangements are simulated and the results are discussed. In particular, the handling behaviours of the rear wheel drive (RWD) and the front wheel drive (FWD) architectures are compared, finding an apparently surprising result: for the analysed vehicle the FWD is less understeering than for RWD. The relation between the yaw torque and the understeer coefficient allows to understand this behaviour and opens-up the possibility for different yaw control strategies.     

Yaw damper modelling and its influence on railway dynamic stability

This paper deals with the modelling of yaw dampers and determining the influence of the modelling of this component on the results obtained when predicting the dynamic stability of a vehicle. The first part of the work analyses the influence of the yaw damper characteristics on railway dynamic stability. Following this, a physical model of the damper is developed which allows its performance to be reproduced accurately in the whole range of operating conditions the damper is envisaged to operate in. Once obtained, it was found that the computational cost of the model was relatively high. Therefore, a simplified model has been developed. The simplified model allows obtaining accurate results without excessively increasing the time required to perform the simulations. Analysing the results obtained with this model, it has been concluded that with respect to previous model based on conventional approaches, it improves the accuracy of dynamic calculation for the stability assessment. Also, it has been found that the accurate modelling of the yaw damper is critical when dealing with the vehicle's dynamic performance. In the last part of the paper, a special type of yaw damper was studied as well as its effect on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle.     

Roll stabilisation of road vehicles using a variable stiffness suspension system

A variable stiffness architecture is used in the suspension system to counteract the body roll moment, thereby enhancing the roll stability of the vehicle. The variation of stiffness concept uses the ‘reciprocal actuation’ to effectively transfer energy between a vertical traditional strut and a horizontal oscillating control mass, thereby improving the energy dissipation of the overall suspension. The lateral dynamics of the system is developed using a bicycle model. The accompanying roll dynamics are also developed and validated using experimental data. The positions of the left and right control masses are sequentially allocated to reduce the effective body roll and roll rate. Simulation results show that the resulting variable stiffness suspension system has more than 50% improvement in roll response over the traditional constant stiffness counterparts. The simulation scenarios examined is the fishhook manoeuvre.     

Comparing rear wheel steering and rear active differential approaches to vehicle yaw control

A comparison between two different approaches to vehicle stability control is carried out, employing a robust non-parametric technique in the controller design. In particular, an enhanced internal model control strategy, together with a feedforward action and a suitably generated reference map, is employed for the control of a vehicle equipped either with a rear wheel steering (RWS) system or with a rear active differential (RAD) device. The uncertainty arising from the wide range of operating conditions is described by an additive model set employed in the controller design. Extensive steady state and transient tests simulated with an accurate 14 degrees of freedom nonlinear model of the considered vehicle show that both systems are able to improve handling and safety in normal driving conditions. RAD devices can make the vehicle reach higher lateral acceleration values but they achieve only slight stability improvements against oversteer. On the other hand, 4WS systems can greatly improve both vehicle safety and manoeuvrability in all driving situations, making this device an interesting and powerful stability system.