Development of Bogie-Mounted Dynamic Vibration Absorbers for Reducing Elastic Vibration of Railway Vehicle Carbodies

Abstract

This paper describes the improvement of passenger comfort in railway trains. Elastic vibrations of railway vehicle carbodies, which occur in a frequency range that is easily perceived by humans, affect comfort of passengers. Therefore, methods to reduce elastic vibration are required. In this study, we focused on bogie vibration to develop a Bogie-Mounted Dynamic Vibration Absorbers (BMDVA) to reduce them. First, after specification study, design, and fabrication of the BMDVA, vibration test of the BMDVA alone was conducted. Second, an analytical model of a railway vehicle was created using Matlab, a numerical analysis software. Third, the vibration characteristics of this model were evaluated to demonstrate its usefulness. Finally, a railway vehicle model with the BMDVA installed was created, and vibration reduction effects were verified through excitation and running simulations. As a result, it was confirmed that the proposed BMDVA was effective in reducing elastic vibration.