Bifurcation Analysis of Railway Vehicles

Abstract

To identify the long-time behaviour of nonlinear dynamical systems with respect to the influence of one or more system parameters, numerical bifurcation analysis is an ideal computer-aided method. The objective of the paper is to describe a software environment for such an analysis that is based on the principles of path-following or continuation. A specific viewpoint is the application to ‘realistic’, i.e. detailed and complex simulation models of railway vehicles following a multibody system approach. Stationary as well as periodic behaviour is considered. Three major topics are of primary interest: The integration of a bifurcation software into a software package for the simulation of arbitrary mechanical systems; the direct calculation of periodic solutions (limit cycles); and the handling of differential algebraic equations (DAEs). The algorithms are applied finally to the ‘realistic’ simulation model of a high-speed railway passenger car.