Review and comparison of selected methods of calculating wheel-rail contact tangential forces on the example of riding stability analysis of a two-axle vehicle

Abstract

This article presents methods currently used in railway vehicle dynamics simulations (MBS) for calculating wheel-rail contact forces. Simulation models of two-axle vehicle built in Simpack 2023 simulation environment were used to compare the selected methods. The paper focuses on the issue of riding stability of the mentioned group of vehicles. The developed research methodology consists in simulating the riding of a vehicle exhibiting instability (hunting movement) on an ideal straight track using the wheel-rail contact models available in the Simpack 2023 environment. Then the obtained results are input data for recalculation of contact forces with selected algorithms. The study is aimed at comparing the selected methods for calculating contact forces, so there is no interaction of the algorithms tested with the MBS simulation model. The results obtained were compared with Kalker's "exact theory" of contact (CONTACT) for the elliptical contact area.