Optimum Railway Transition Curves—Method of the Assessment and Results

Krzysztof Zboinski,Piotr Woznica

doi:10.3390/en14133995

Abstract

This article discusses the optimization of railway transition curves, through the application of polynomials of 9th and 11th degrees. In this work, the authors use a 2-axle rail vehicle model combined with mathematically understood optimization methods. This model is used to simulate rail vehicle movement negotiating both a transition curve and circular arc. Passenger comfort is applied as the criterion to assess which transition is actually is the best one. The 4-axle vehicle was also used to verify the results obtained using the 2-axle vehicle. Our results show that the traditionally used in a railway engineering transition—3rd degree parabola—which is not always the optimum curve. This fact is especially valid for the longest curves, with lengths greater than 150 m. For such cases, the transition curves similar to standard curves of 9th and 11th degrees is the optimum ones. This result is confirmed by the use of the 4-axle vehicle.

Highlights

Today, transport negatively influences both the environment and human health
The presented method, using the 2-axle vehicle model and mathematically understood optimization, shows that it is possible to optimize the shape of the transition curve
The presented method, using the 2-axle vehicle model and mathematically understood optimization, shows that it is possible to optimize the shape of the transition curve for a circular arc and cant

Summary

Introduction

Transport negatively influences both the environment and human health. Due to this fact, engineers tend to project sustainable transport systems with a smaller negative impact on health and ecosystems. If we take into account infrastructure 3D shape, it has a big impact on dynamics, and dynamics of train strongly influences journey comfort. The authors of the current article have used two advanced rail vehicle models, using the full dynamics of the vehicles, to find new better shapes of railway transitions, not used in the engineering practice. The advanced vehicle model gives the chance of better assignment of dynamical properties of railway transitions to freight or passenger vehicles. The main criterion can be the wear in wheel-rail contact

Objectives

Results

Conclusion