Experimental and numerical investigation of railroad vehicle braking dynamics

Abstract

One of the important issues associated with the use of trajectory coordinates in railroad vehicle dynamic algorithms is the ability of such coordinates to deal with braking and traction scenarios. In these algorithms, track coordinate systems that travel with constant speeds are introduced. As a result of using a prescribed motion for these track coordinate systems, the simulation of braking and/or traction scenarios becomes difficult or even impossible. The assumption of the prescribed motion of the track coordinate systems can be relaxed, thereby allowing the trajectory coordinates to be effectively used in modelling braking and traction dynamics. One of the objectives of this investigation is to demonstrate that by using track coordinate systems that can have an arbitrary motion, the trajectory coordinates can be used as the basis for developing computer algorithms for modelling braking and traction conditions. To this end, a set of six generalized trajectory coordinates is used to define the configuration of each rigid body in the railroad vehicle system. This set of coordinates consists of an arc length that represents the distance travelled by the body, and five relative coordinates that define the configuration of the body with respect to its track coordinate system. The independent non-linear state equations of motion associated with the trajectory coordinates are identified and integrated forward in time in order to determine the trajectory coordinates and velocities. The results obtained in this study show that when the track coordinate systems are allowed to have an arbitrary motion, the resulting set of trajectory coordinates can be used effectively in the study of braking and traction conditions. The results obtained using the trajectory coordinates are compared with the results obtained using the absolute Cartesian-coordinate-based formulations, which allow modelling braking and traction dynamics. In addition to this numerical validation of the trajectory coordinate formulation in braking scenarios, an experimental validation is also conducted using a roller test rig. The comparison presented in this study shows a good agreement between the obtained experimental and numerical results.