Rail vehicle passing through a turnout: analysis of different turnout designs and wheel profiles

Abstract

In recent years, different systems have been developed in order to improve the dynamic behaviour of railway vehicles when passing through turnouts. Some of these improvements consist in varying the geometry of the switch itself and including moveable crossing vees. It is worth mentioning that they are designed by taking a certain wheel profile into consideration, i.e. it is assumed that the wheel profile does not change.

The objective of the current study is to determine the influence that the turnout design has on vehicle dynamics, as well as the influence that the variability in wheel profiles can have on the effectiveness of the different systems.

In order to do this, the MBS software Simpack was used to model one vehicle with two different turnouts and four different profiles. The results show that the geometrical design of the turnout has a critical influence on the vehicle/turnout. We also concluded that the wheel profile does not have a significant influence when the vehicle passes through turnouts.

Keywords

Turnouts switches and crossings track geometry wheel profile dynamic vehicle–turnout interaction

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Nissen

. Classification and cost analysis of switches and crossings for the Swedish railway: a case study. J Qual Maint Eng 2009; 15(2): 202–220.

Thompson

Jones

CJC

. A review of the modelling of wheel/rail noise generation. J Sound Vibr 2000; 231(3): 519–536.

Bouch

Roberts

Amoore

. Development of a common set of European high-level track maintenance cost categories. J Rail and Rapid Transit 2010; 224(4): 327–335.

Nicklisch

Kassa

Nielsen

JCO

Ekh

Iwnicki

. Geometry and stiffness optimization for switches and crossings, and simulation of material degradation. J Rail and Rapid Transit 2010; 224(4): 279–292.

Andersson

Dahlberg

. Wheel/rail impacts at a railway turnout crossing. J Rail and Rapid Transit 1998; 212(2): 123–134.

Andersson

Dahlberg

. Load impacts at railway turnout crossing. 16th LAVSD Symposium on the Dynamics of Vehicles on Roads and on Tracks. vol. 33, Goteborg, Sweden: Chalmers University of Technology, 1999, 131–142Swets en Zeitlinger B.V., Lisse, Netherlands.

Kassa

Nielsen

JCO

. Dynamic interaction between train and railway turnout: full-scale field test and validation of simulation models BT. Veh Sys Dyn 2008; 46(Suppl. 1): 521–534.

Bruni

Anastasopoulos

Alfi

Van Leuven

Gazetas

. Effects of train impacts on urban turnouts: modelling and validation through measurements. J Sound Vibr 2009; 324(3–5): 666–689.

García Díaz De Villegas

Bugarín

. Improvements in railway switches. J Rail and Rapid Transit 2002; 216(4): 275–286.

10.

Schöch

Kopp

. Essais chez les chemins de fer Fédéraux Autrichiens avec des profils de rails asymétriques dans des courbes étroites. Rail Int, Brussels 1990; 2: 23–27.

11.

Gerl

Kaprolat

Mauer

. Manchester benchmarks Simapck statement of methods. Veh Sys Dyn 1999; 31(Suppl.): 78–84.

12.

Smet G, Yorck M, Baldesi G and Palladino M. Multi-body dynamics software tool: two case studies. volume 670 SP of European Space Agency (Special Publication) ESA SP, page Austrian Research Centres GmbH (ARC); Centre natio, European Space Agency, Rigessel 126, 3111 Wezemaal, Belgium, 2009. European Space Agency.

13.

Iwnicki

. The Manchester benchmarks for rail vehicle simulation. Veh Sys Dyn 1998; 30(S): 295–313.

14.

González

Pérez

Vinolas

Alonso

. Use of active steering in railway bogies to reduce rail corrugation on curves. J Rail and Rapid Transit 2007; 221(4): 509–519.

15.

Committee for Standardization European. UNE 13232: railway applications – track – switches and crossings – part 2: requirements for geometric design, 2003.

16.

Steenbergen

Esveld

. Relation between the geometry of rail welds and the dynamic wheel–rail response: numerical simulations for measured welds. J Rail and Rapid Transit 2006; 220(4): 409–423.

17.

Steenbergen

. The role of the contact geometry in wheel–rail impact due to wheel flats. Veh Sys Dyn 2007; 45(12): 1097–1116.

18.

Steenbergen

. Quantification of dynamic wheel–rail contact forces at short rail irregularities and application to measured rail welds. J Sound Vibr 2008; 312(4–5): 606–629.