Effect of motor suspension parameters on bifurcations for a nonlinear bogie system

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effect of motor suspension parameters, specifically damping and stiffness, on the bifurcations of a bogie system. A motor bogie model with a nonlinear smooth equivalent conicity function is established. The study includes qualitative analyses of the stability and the Hopf bifurcation of the equilibrium, with the running speed as the single parameter. Furthermore, the generalised Hopf bifurcation and Hopf-Hopf bifurcation of the equilibrium, based on two motor suspension parameters, are also analysed. The paper delves into the codimension-1 and codimension-2 bifurcations of the limit cycles generated by the Hopf bifurcation, including Neimark–Sacker bifurcation, fold bifurcation, cusp bifurcation, 1:3 resonance, and 1:4 resonance. Analytical investigations reveal that the cusp bifurcation alters the type of fold bifurcation (subcritical or supercritical), and the fold bifurcation influences the stability and bifurcation direction of the limit cycle. Additionally, resonance occurs between the motor and the bogie frame. Since the subcritical (supercritical) Neimark–Sacker bifurcation produces an unstable (a stable) torus, the resonance points associated with the subcritical Neimark–Sacker bifurcation will lead to the instability of the motor bogie. The bifurcation analysis on the motor suspension parameters in this paper offers a theoretical reference for enhancing the stability of the motor bogie.