Modelling, validation and analysis of a three-dimensional railway vehicle-track system model with linear and nonlinear track properties in the presence of wheel flats

• Published in: Vehicle system dynamics Vol. 51; no. 11; pp. 1695 - 1721
• Main Authors: Uzzal, R.U.A., Ahmed, A.K.W., Bhat, R.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Taylor & Francis 01-11-2013
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Machine components; Mechanical contact (friction...); Mechanical engineering. Machine design; nonlinear railpads and ballasts; Physics; Railway tracks (foundations and track subgrades); Railway transportation and traffic; Solid mechanics; Springs and dampers; Structural and continuum mechanics; Timoshenko beam; Transportation infrastructure; wheel flat; wheel-rail impact force; Wheel; Modal analysis; wheel flat; Ballast; Multiple support; Sleeper; Vehicle dynamics; Modeling; Axle; Dynamic contact; Rail; Contact stress; Rail transportation; Railway track; Bogie; Dynamic response; Vibration; Timoshenko beam; Rail vehicle; Car body; Mechanical contact; nonlinear railpads and ballasts; Hertzian contact; Two body system; Lumped parameter system; wheel-rail impact force; Non linear effect; Damper; Dynamic load
• ISSN: 0042-3114; 1744-5159
• DOI: 10.1080/00423114.2013.822987

This paper presents dynamic contact loads at wheel-rail contact point in a three-dimensional railway vehicle-track model as well as dynamic response at vehicle-track component levels in the presence of wheel flats. The 17-degrees of freedom lumped mass vehicle is modelled as a full car body, two bogies and four wheelsets, whereas the railway track is modelled as two parallel Timoshenko beams periodically supported by lumped masses representing the sleepers. The rail beam is also supported by nonlinear spring and damper elements representing the railpad and ballast. In order to ensure the interactions between the railpads, a shear parameter beneath the rail beams has also been considered into the model. The wheel-rail contact is modelled using nonlinear Hertzian contact theory. In order to solve the coupled partial and ordinary differential equations of the vehicle-track system, modal analysis method is employed. Idealised Haversine wheel flats with the rounded corner are included in the wheel-rail contact model. The developed model is validated with the existing measured and analytical data available in the literature. The nonlinear model is then employed to investigate the wheel-rail impact forces that arise in the wheel-rail interface due to the presence of wheel flats. The validated model is further employed to investigate the dynamic responses of vehicle and track components in terms of displacement, velocity, and acceleration in the presence of single wheel flat.