Research on dynamic response of metro vehicles based on different coupling damage conditions of wheels

Abstract

Wheel profile wear (WPW), out-of-roundness (OOR), and wheel diameter difference (WDD) are three common types of damage to subway wheels, and each has its own set of operational restrictions. However, in the actual operation, the same wheel is frequently accompanied by multiple forms of damage and the various forms of damage interact with each other. Considering the characteristics of this damage, this paper aims to investigate the influence law and characteristics of wheel coupling damage on the vehicle dynamic performance, as well as the differences in the vehicle performance response caused by the two main coupling conditions, namely, OOR coupling WDD and WPW coupling WDD. The results reveal that the vehicle performance reaction generated by WPW coupled with WDD is more substantial than the vehicle performance response caused by OOR combined with WDD. Furthermore, while the wheel coupling damage deteriorated several of the vehicle dynamic performance indicators, it also enhanced some of the performance parameters during vehicle operation to some extent. The experiments demonstrate that the presence of WDD minimises the peak of wheel/rail lateral force caused by OOR and suppresses the deterioration of the ride comfort index caused by the rise of WPW.