Optimization of railway transition curves for large circular arc radii

Abstract

The current paper concerns the optimization of the shape of railway transition curves (TCs). As transition curves, the authors used the polynomials of 9th and 11th degree. In the optimization of the shape of the TCs, the model of 2-axle rail vehicle was used. The mentioned objective function concerned the normalised value of the integral of the change of lateral acceleration of vehicle body along the route. The authors used large circular arc radii – R=3000 m and 4000 m. The paper presents the results of the optimization - the types of curvatures of the optimum transition curves and the dynamical courses - the displacements and the accelerations both lateral and vertical of the vehicle body mass centres.