Abstract
The driving comfort of a straddle-type monorail, while considering the influence of the bridge structure, was studied on the basis of multibody dynamics and the finite element method. In this study, the coupled vehicle-bridge model was established through SIMPACK and ANSYS; the 3D model of the bridge was established in ANSYS, and the vehicle model with 35 degrees of freedom (DOFs) was established in SIMPACK. The influence of the vehicle speed, pier height, track irregularity, and vehicle load on riding comfort was studied. Overall, straddle-type monorails had a good running stability, and the lateral comfort of the vehicle was better than the vertical comfort, due to symmetrical horizontal wheels. As the vehicle speed increased, the acceleration of the bridge and vehicle increased accordingly. Track irregularity had a substantial influence on riding comfort. Three types of track irregularity were simulated, and this factor should be strictly controlled to be smoother than the Chinese national A-level road roughness. The bridge pier height had a notable influence on the lateral riding comfort. In addition, this study attempted to improve riding comfort from the perspective of increasing the bridge stiffness, which could be achieved by increasing the cross-beam thickness or the track beam height.
Highlights
Rail transit has become a lifeline of urban transportation and is characterized by fast speeds, large traffic volumes, good ride environments, and short operation delays [1]
In the vehicle–bridge coupling dynamic analysis, the natural frequency, acceleration, deflection, and bending angle were the major parameters for evaluating the dynamic response of a bridge
These indicators of railway bridges were well-evaluated and formed a specific evaluation criterion that could indicators of railway bridges were well‐evaluated and formed a specific evaluation criterion that be applied to straddle-type monorail bridges as a reference
Summary
Rail transit has become a lifeline of urban transportation and is characterized by fast speeds, large traffic volumes, good ride environments, and short operation delays [1]. Goda [28,29,30] established the motion equation of a straddle-type monorail vehicle through multibody dynamics and studied its curve passing performance, without considering the deformation of the track beam. Bao et al [34] established a monorail suspension model with SIMPACK and carried out dynamic analysis of the coupled vehicle–bridge system, through which they studied the influence of factors, such as speed and track irregularity, on the dynamic characteristics of the coupled system. The supporting bridge of a monorail is a typical elastic structure, it is still necessary to explore a suitable method to study vehicle–bridge coupling vibrations, based on the characteristics of straddle-type monorails and bridges. Measures to improve the riding comfort of straddle-type monorails were proposed, which could provide some basis for designing similar projects
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