Theoretical investigation into the measurability of rail unevenness and corrugation using the dynamic response of axle box and bogie

Abstract

Monitoring track unevenness is important for noise and vibration control and track maintenance. Rail corrugation and shorter wavelength track unevenness can be measured using the corrugation analysis trolley, but it is not suitable for measurement over long distance. It is of great significance to study the dynamic behavior of the response of the axle box and bogie to the unevenness excitation for a better understanding of the measurement results. In this paper, the dynamic response of the axle box and bogie to the unevenness excitation is analyzed in the frequency domain by taking account of multiple wheel–rail interactions, which is the case in practice. The response of the axle box and bogie is found to be affected by the so-called P2 resonances at low and medium frequencies and the standing waves of rail vibration at higher frequencies due to the multiple wheel–rail interactions. Based on the analysis of the response of the axle box and bogie, the measurability of track unevenness is discussed. Results show that the measurement of rail unevenness using the axle box response is mainly limited by the P2 resonance. The frequency range of measurement for the ballasted track studied is estimated to be 1–35 Hz, corresponding to the measurable unevenness wavelength of 0.6–20 m (or longer) at a vehicle speed of 20 m/s. Above 200 Hz, the standing waves of rail vibration will cause serious uncertainty in the measurement of short wavelength rail irregularity using the axle box response for the resilient track. Short pitch rail corrugation, however, can be evaluated using the axle box response due to its strong correlation with certain modes of the wheel–track system.

Keywords

Axle box response bogie response wheel–rail interaction rail unevenness rail corrugation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Grassie

. Short wavelength rail corrugation: field trials and measuring technology. Wear 1996; 191: 149–160.

Gilbert D and Wesley PD. Track monitoring equipment. EU Pat EP1180175, European Patent Ofﬁce, Munich, Germany, 2002.

Weston

Ling

Roberts

, et al. Monitoring vertical track irregularity from in-service railway vehicles. Proc IMechE, Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 2016; 221: 75–88.

Takeshita

. Track irregularity inspection method by revenue-earning train. RTRI Rep 1995; 9: 29–34.

Naganuma Y, Kobayashi M, Nakagawa M, et al. Condition monitoring of Shinkansen tracks using commercial trains. In: Proceedings of 4th IET international conference on railway condition monitoring, Derby, United Kingdom, 18–20 June 2008.

Lee

Choi

Kim

S-S

, et al. A mixed filtering approach for track condition monitoring using accelerometers on the axle box and bogie. IEEE Trans Instrum Meas 2012; 61: 749–758.

Bongini

Grassie

Saxon

. ‘Noise mapping’ of a railway network: validation and use of a system based on measurement of axlebox vibration. Noise Vib Mitigat Rail Transp Syst 2012, pp. 118: 505–513.

Naganuma

Kobayashi

Tsunashima

. Track geometry estimation from car-body motions of railway vehicle. J Mech Syst Transp Logist 2013; 6: 133–141.

Wang G, Xing Z, Wang X, et al. Estimation of vertical track irregularity based on extended Kalman filter. In: Proceedings of the 2015 international conference on electrical and information technologies for rail transportation, 2016, pp.257–265. Berlin: Springer.

10.

Jiang J, Wang F, Zhang Y, et al. Estimation of vertical track irregularity based on NARX neural network. In: Proceedings of the 2015 international conference on electrical and information technologies for rail transportation, 2016, pp.167–175. Berlin: Springer.

11.

Molodova

Núñez

, et al. Parametric study of axle box acceleration at squats. Proc IMechE, Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 2015; 229: 841–851.

12.

Li S, Núñez A, Li Z, et al. Automatic detection of corrugation: preliminary results in the Dutch network using axle box acceleration measurements. In: 2015 joint rail conference American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 23 March 2015, San Jose, California, USA, pp.V001T01A023–V001T01A023.

13.

Molodova

Núñez

, et al. Improvements in axle box acceleration measurements for the detection of light squats in railway infrastructure. IEEE Trans Ind Electron 2015; 62: 1–1.

14.

Grassie

. Measurement of railhead longitudinal profiles: a comparison of different techniques. Wear 1996; 191: 245–251.

15.

Wei

Liu

Jia

. Urban rail track condition monitoring based on in-service vehicle acceleration measurements. Measurement 2016; 80: 217–228.

16.

Thompson

. Vibration analysis of railway track with multiple wheels on the rail. J Sound Vib 2001; 239: 69–97.

17.

Thompson

. Behaviour of the normal contact force under multiple wheel/rail interaction. Veh Syst Dyn 2002; 37: 157–174.

18.

Grassie

. Rail corrugation: characteristics, causes, and treatments. Proc IMechE, Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 2009; 223: 581–596.

19.

Fang

Wang

Peng

, et al. Theoretical investigation into the formation mechanism and mitigation measures of short pitch rail corrugation in resilient tracks of metros. Proc IMechE, Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit 2018; 232: 2260–2271.

20.

Wang

. The growth and mitigation of rail corrugation due to vibrational interference between moving wheels and resilient track. Veh Syst Dyn 2019.