Dynamic Response Of Vehicle Research Articles

Response of prefabricated-polyurethane reinforced ballasted track to dislocation in tunnels through active fault zone

ABSTRACT The dislocation of the active fault zone may cause some threat to the track structures passing through it, in order to investigate the response of prefabricated-polyurethane reinforced ballasted track and CRTS III slab track to different forms of fault and to compare their adaptability in fault zone, a finite element model of the track-tunnel-surrounding rock system and a dynamic model of vehicle-track system were integrated together in this study. Based on the models, the changes of track geometry of the two track structures were studied, the mechanical behaviour of track components was revealed, and the effect of irregularity caused by fault dislocation on vehicle dynamic response was studied. Results show that the components of CRTS III slab track are damaged at a smaller dislocation displacement than those of prefabricated-polyurethane reinforced ballasted track. With the increase of the train speed and dislocation displacement, the derailment coefficient and wheel load reduction rate also increase. The safe speed limits for travelling under different types of fault and different dislocation displacements are obtained, which can provide reference for similar engineering applications.

The Effect of Landing Gear Dimension Variation on the Static Strength and Dynamic Response of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

This research discusses the static and dynamic analysis of the landing gear structure of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The dimensional study is conducted to investigate the effect of landing gear dimension variation on UAVs’ static strength and dynamic response. Static analysis was performed with Finite Element Method (FEM) software. The dynamic response of the UAV is analyzed using a single-degree-of-freedom vibration model. Based on the static analysis results, the landing gear stiffness and strength can be increased by increasing the width and decreasing the height, radius, and length of the landing gear structure. The energy dissipation in the dynamic analysis is described by hysteresis and viscous damping model. The dynamic response simulation results show that the increase in the stiffness of the landing gear leads to an increase in force transmission and acceleration of the UAV. Furthermore, the UAV response using the viscous damping model can accurately predict the system’s response with the hysteretic damping model for small damping conditions. However, the deviation was observed for large damping conditions.

Connection Between Track Geometry Quality and Dynamic Vehicle Response at Various Speeds

Track geometry measurements are widely used for describing track quality. However, derailments and track deterioration are caused by forces arising in vehicle-track system. This research focuses on two types of vehicle response. Firstly, the influence of the longitudinal level irregularities on the vertical wheel-rail forces was examined. Secondly, the correlation between the lateral axle box acceleration and the cross level irregularities was investigated. Track geometry and vehicle response data were acquired simultaneously by a track recording car, formed from a passenger car, at various speeds up to 130 km/h. Vehicle-track forces were calculated based on accelerometers mounted on the car body, bogies and axle boxes, considering mass and moment of inertia. Non-linear regressions resulted in vertical vehicle-track force estimation functions. It was proven that the use of second spatial derivatives of the longitudinal level gave a better estimation than the use of reference TQIs according to European Standard EN 13848-6. A linear relationship was found between the speed and standard deviation of vertical vehicle-track forces. On straight sections with constant speed, correlation coefficients of around 0.8 were found between second spatial derivatives of cross level and lateral axle box acceleration.

Aerodynamic stability of high-speed vehicle passing bridge tower in different lanes under crosswind conditions

Large bridges' decks often exhibit different adhesion coefficients in complex environments, which are frequently accompanied by significant crosswind effects. This results in a complex and constantly changing flow field around vehicles, which can severely impact driving safety. In this study, the two-way coupling method is utilized to investigate the transient aerodynamic characteristics and dynamic response of vehicles passing through bridge towers at high speeds in different lanes with varied adhesion coefficients under crosswind conditions. The vehicle speed was 30 m/s, and the crosswind velocity was recorded at 11.33 m/s. The results indicate that the aerodynamic load fluctuates more significantly due to the influence of the bridge tower. In the same lane, the bridge deck with an adhesion coefficient of 0.4 produces a greater lateral displacement and yaw angle. When passing through the bridge tower, a vehicle in lane L1 is suddenly affected by vortex shedding, resulting in a larger lateral displacement and yaw angle compared to vehicles in L2 and L3 lanes. The lateral displacement measures 0.251 m, and the yaw angle measures 0.0205 radians at an adhesion coefficient of 0.4. This also indicates that driving in the L1 lane in a crosswind environment is relatively less safe.

A Hybrid Method for Vehicle–Track Coupling Dynamics by Analytical and Finite Element Combination Technique

Globally, rail transit is developing toward higher speeds, larger axle weights, and greater environmental friendliness. The more and more complex wheel–rail interaction will result in the dynamic responses of vehicles, tracks and other structures needing more in-depth theoretical research. However, most existing models for dynamic simulations of the vehicle–track coupling system need to extend the model on both sides of the concerned region to eliminate the boundary effect. To a certain extent, this kind of process method increases the computational effort. To overcome this disadvantage, a hybrid model combined with the analytical method and finite element method was proposed. The moving support system (including transition nodes) was specially established referring to the analytical solution of rail deflection based on the Winkler elastic foundation beam theory to realize the combination of the two methods. Two examples were presented to verify the stability and accuracy of the proposed model. The comparison results show that simulation results of vertical wheel–rail forces and track vibrations are almost consistent with the existing model. Furthermore, the calculation efficiency was discussed and certificated under different long-marshalling trains, with an obvious speedup factor that could be more than 2.5 for 16-marshalling train. The proposed model has a wide application prospect in the vehicle–track coupling analysis of long-marshalling trains, especially for heavy haul railways with hundreds of vehicles.

Dynamic Responses of 8-DoF Vehicle with Active Suspension: Fuzzy-PID Control

The driving smoothness of vehicles is heavily influenced by their suspension system, and implementing active suspension control can effectively minimize the vibration movement of the vehicle and ensure a comfortable driving experience. An 8-DoF active suspension model of the full vehicle is established, and a fuzzy-PID controller is designed to autonomously regulate the parameters of the PID controller. Using the MATLAB/Simulink environment, a simulation model for suspension is created, and the vibration characteristics of passive, PID control, and fuzzy-PID control suspensions are compared with the help of the continuous crossing road hump model and C-level road model as road inputs. The results show that the utilization of fuzzy-PID control considerably diminishes the vertical, pitch, and roll oscillations of the suspension body and modifies the suspension dynamic deflection and tire dynamic load in contrast to the other two scenarios, thus enhancing ride comfort. Fuzzy-PID control led to a decrease of approximately 40% in acceleration, 25% in suspension workspace, and 30% in tire deflection compared to passive suspension. In addition, the reduction in acceleration is about 20%, the reduction in suspension workspace is approximately 10%, and the reduction in tire deflection is about 15% compared to the PID control suspension system.

Position design of the trailing arm bushing on torsion beam suspension accounting for vehicle transient handling performance and uncertainties

The bushing of the trailing arm on torsion beam suspension plays a pivotal role in vehicle dynamic behavior. In this paper, the connection between bushing position and vehicle dynamic response is elucidated. According to the simulation results, the impact of the bushing position on the transient performance of vehicle is more pronounced at low handling frequencies, and different index under the same bushing position are not always optimal. To design the bushing position that is better for evaluation indexes, this paper formulates the design problem of the bushing position as a multi-objective optimization problem. Due to the influence of actual production and processing, inevitable errors in bushing position may result in vehicle performance not meeting design requirements. Therefore, this paper takes into consideration the uncertainties and conducts robust multi-objective optimization to design the bushing position. To address the computational burden associated with robust optimization, the RBF approximation model is developed in this paper. Finally, the optimization problem is solved with the NSGA-II intelligent algorithm. The optimization results show that the bushing position designed by robust multi-objective optimization results in vehicle with stronger anti-roll performance and better robustness for each evaluation index. It is more suitable for practical applications.

Rapid evaluation of the high-speed railway bridge vertical deformation threshold and train operation safety performance based on the virtual track inspection method

This study proposes a method for analyzing the impact of bridge deformation on the train-track-bridge coupled dynamics from the perspective of dynamic track geometry. First, with the static mapping geometry and the superposition of random track irregularities are used as excitations, a mapping analytical model between bridge foundation deformation and dynamic track geometry is established by combining the vehicle-track-bridge dynamics model and the virtual track inspection model. Second, after analyzing the effect of bridge foundation deformation on the ratio of dynamic and static extremums of the second derivative, the mapping relationship among the amplitude of the bridge deformation, the second derivative of the dynamic track geometry and the vehicle dynamic response is obtained. Finally, based on the driving safety indicators, a threshold determination method applicable to different bridge deformation patterns is proposed. This method, when combined with modern track detection technology, allows for rapid evaluation and is adaptable to complex bridge deformation scenarios.

Influence of wheel profile wear coupled with friction coefficient on the dynamic response of subway vehicles

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to match appropriate friction coefficients for subway operational vehicles, considering the dynamic variations of wheel profile wear.Design/methodology/approachThis study combines experimental testing and numerical simulation to investigate the influence of wheel profile wear coupled with the friction coefficient on the vehicle dynamic response.FindingsFor the test route in this paper, it is recommended to control the friction coefficient on straight sections between 0.25 and 0.3, and on curved sections between 0.2 and 0.3. This satisfies the required adhesion coefficient for normal train traction and braking, while also ensuring the straight running performance and curve negotiation performance of the vehicle.Practical implicationsReasonable friction coefficient ranges are proposed for straight and curved track lines to improve the operational safety and economy of the vehicles. Moreover, this study can provide a theoretical basis and reference direction for developing anti-wear measures for rail vehicles operating on fixed routes.Originality/valueConsidering the wear characteristics of operating vehicles and the dynamic changes in the wear profile, this paper explores the adaptability of different degrees of wheel wear profiles to different friction coefficients. Based on the response characteristics of vehicle dynamics, reasonable lubrication recommendations are proposed for this operating vehicle.

Influence of shortwave irregularity on increasing the vehicle running speed on bi-block ballastless track lines

Compared with slab ballastless track, bi-block ballastless track has the advantages of simpler constructed components and better economy, and has been used in high-speed railways for nearly 20,000 km in China. During the construction, the position deviation between sleepers and the disturbance of sleeper position caused by track bed concrete pouring can easily lead to shortwave irregularity with wavelength of 1 ∼ 2 m of bi-block ballastless track. Massive detection data on several high-speed railway lines showed that the standard deviation of vertical wheel-rail contact forces on bi-block ballastless track was about 58% higher than that on slab ballastless track. In this paper, a vehicle-track coupled dynamic analysis model was established, which can consider 1 ∼ 2 m shortwave irregularities of the track. Under the current construction and operation control standards, the dynamic responses of vehicles and tracks under different running speeds were studied. The results showed that vertical shortwave irregularity mainly affected the dynamic response of the wheel and rail, and rarely affected the dynamic response in other components. Compared with no shortwave irregularity, when the track had shortwave irregularity with σv = 0.8 mm, the peak value of the vertical acceleration of wheelset increased by 4.1 times, the standard deviation of wheel-rail contact force increased by 3.9 times, the vertical acceleration of frame increased by 1.7 times, and the vertical acceleration of track bed increased by 1.8 times, while the vibration acceleration of car body had almost no effect. When the track had shortwave irregularity with σh = 0.8 mm, the lateral acceleration of wheelset increased by 2.3 times. When the track had shortwave irregularity with σv = 0.8 mm and the vehicle speed increased to 450 km·h−1, the wheel load reduction rate reached 0.85, which exceeded the safety limit. Consider the results of this study, following suggestions can be obtained:(1) the shortwave irregularity with wavelength of 1 ∼ 2 m can be measured indirectly by the standard deviation of wheel-rail vertical contact force or wheelset vibration acceleration. (2) To control the wheel load reduction rate within 0.6, the standard deviation of random vertical irregularity should be controlled within 0.6 mm when running speed is 350 km/h, and within 0.4 mm when running speed is 400 km/h or above.

Dynamic Analysis of Coupled Train and Cracked Bridge Systems Using Multiscale Finite Element Modeling

Cracking frequently encountered in railway bridges can lead to significant changes in bridge dynamic characteristics and further dynamic performance of train–bridge interaction (TBI) system. It is desirable to develop an effective method to understand the dynamic behavior of coupled train and cracked bridge systems. This paper proposes a framework for coupled vibration analysis of train and cracked bridge systems using multiscale finite element modeling. A multiscale bridge model adopting frictional surface–surface contact to characterize nonlinear breathing phenomenon of the crack is incorporated into the three-dimensional coupled TBI model. Subsequently, a multiloop numerical solution strategy is formulated to solve the established dynamic equation of coupled train and cracked bridge systems. The proposed framework is used to analyze the cracked beams presented in the literature, and the obtained and literature data are compared. Moreover, an actual heavy-haul railway bridge is taken as an illustrative example, in which vehicle dynamic response, bridge vibration, and train running safety index are calculated considering various crack types, train speeds, and track conditions. The results show that apart from the bridge displacement and acceleration, the presence of crack can have a large influence on the vehicle acceleration response, derailment factor, and offload factor. Differences larger than ±10% in the maximum dynamic indices associated with the intact and cracked bridges are observed, indicating the necessity of considering the crack damage in train–bridge coupled dynamic analysis.

Extracting Bridge Frequencies from The Dynamic Responses of Moving and Non-moving Vehicles

Bridges can continuously suffer from structural deterioration due to inclement environmental and operational effects, making a timely inspection necessary to ensure the reliability and functionality of bridges. Recent progress in vehicle-bridge interactions has promoted the vehicle scanning method (VSM) for bridge frequency extraction, whereby the bridge frequency is typically identified from the dynamic response of a passing vehicle to reflect the bridge's health condition. Despite numerous endeavors, the low-speed limitation of the moving test vehicle and the adverse influence of road roughness still hinder the general application of VSM. In this regard, this paper presents a novel VSM for bridge frequency extraction by integrating moving and non-moving vehicles. By introducing the novel non-moving vehicle, the bridge vibration content becomes more obvious in the dynamic response of the moving vehicle, which is beneficial to the associated indirect bridge frequency extraction. Moreover, the non-moving vehicle is nearly free from the influence of road roughness, such that the performance of VSM for bridge frequency extraction can be enhanced against noisy real-world environments. To understand the inherent mechanism of the proposed method, a vehicle-bridge coupling system with moving and non-moving vehicles is theoretically formulated, and the analytical solutions of the coupled system are derived and numerically validated. Furthermore, several case studies are presented to comprehensively investigate key factors affecting the performance of bridge frequency extraction through the proposed method. The results indicate that incorporating a non-moving vehicle can significantly increase the extractability of bridge frequencies in vehicle responses. It becomes possible to accurately identify the first four-order bridge frequencies of a simply supported bridge (rather than the first two-order bridge frequencies using a moving vehicle exclusively) from the vehicle response after introducing a non-moving vehicle. More importantly, the adverse effect of the high-speed moving test vehicle and road roughness can be significantly alleviated by the non-moving vehicle, and therefore the proposed method becomes more robust in actual applications. Besides, further insights are provided in terms of the implementation strategies of the proposed method.

On the vehicle dynamics prediction via model-based observation

Accurate knowledge of the vehicle dynamics response is a critical aspect to improve handling performance while ensuring safe driving at the same time. However, it poses a challenge since not all the quantities of interest can be directly measured due to cost and/or technological reasons. Therefore, several methods have been developed relying on physical models that map the relationship between these uncertain quantities and other variables that are directly measurable via the onboard sensors. This approach is referred to as model-based estimation, and it is usually solved via Kalman Filtering (KF). The accuracy that can be achieved is tightly connected with the model and the estimation algorithm selected by the designer. In this paper, models with varying levels of fidelity and different KF-based estimators are compared in order to shed some light on the appropriate construction of a model-based observer among the large body of research present in the literature. Recent nonlinear estimation algorithms including the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) and the Cubature Kalman Filter (CKF) are contrasted with each other and against the standard Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on experimental data available from a public data set that uses an instrumented Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta GT as a test bed.

Research on Nonconstant and Discontinuous Pumping Characteristics of the Concrete Pump Truck

The nonconstant concrete flow due to the alternating pumping of the twin cylinder of the hydraulic pump will cause vibration of concrete pump trucks. Furthermore, the discontinuous pumping of concrete caused by inadequate suction and air doping will exacerbate the vibration. In order to study the effect of nonconstant and discontinuous pumping of concrete on the dynamic response and vibrational stability of the whole vehicle, multi-fluid pumping models with concrete-lubrication gas for straight and elbow pipes are established, respectively, and the boundary conditions of periodic pumping speed are taken into account to compare the rheological characteristics of concrete and the exciting force on the pipe wall under nonconstant pumping, discontinuous pumping and nonconstant discontinuous pumping conditions. Results show that the pipe pressure and the exciting force vary periodically with the pumping speed under nonconstant pumping conditions, and the peak-to-peak value of the pipe pressure and excitation for discontinuous pumping depend on the volume fraction and distribution state of the gas in the pipe.

Slip Ratio Adaptive Control Based on Wheel Angular Velocity for Distributed Drive Electric Vehicles

In order to solve the adaptability problem of acceleration slip regulation for distributed drive electric vehicles, a slip ratio adaptive control strategy based on wheel angular velocity is proposed. The principle of road estimation algorithm based on the Burckhardt tire model is analyzed, and an improved estimation principle for optimal slip ratio is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of optimal slip ratio estimation. A slip ratio control strategy based on a conditional integral sliding mode control is designed, and its stability is proven. To make the slip ratio control strategy have better practicability, the slip ratio control strategy is combined with the road estimation algorithm, and the control variable of the slip ratio adaptive control strategy based on a conditional integral sliding mode control is redesigned to obtain a faster vehicle dynamic response. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed road estimation algorithm and the slip ratio adaptive control strategy is verified by simulation of acceleration on joint road and split road. Results show that the designed road estimator can obtain the road adhesion coefficient and optimal slip ratio quickly and accurately; the slip ratio adaptive controller, based on a conditional integral sliding mode control, can maintain the wheel slip ratio near the optimal slip ratio and reduce the steady-state error of the wheel slip ratio.

Vehicle dynamics prediction via adaptive robust unscented particle filter

Accurate knowledge of the vehicle dynamics response is a critical aspect to improve handling performance while ensuring safe driving at the same time. However, it poses a challenge since not all the quantities of interest can be directly measured due to cost and/or technological reasons. Therefore, combining the principle of robust filtering and unscented particle filtering algorithm, a filter estimation method of vehicle state is proposed to estimate driving state parameters of a vehicle. The adaptive robust unscented particle filter (ARUPF) is used to realize the longitudinal and lateral velocity as well as the side slip angle of the vehicle. The CarSim and Matlab/Simulink co-simulation platform is established to verify the estimation algorithm. The results show that based on the adaptive robust unscented particle filter algorithm, the vehicle driving states can be estimated, the measurement parameters can be effectively filtered, and the estimation accuracy is higher.

Identification of track irregularities with the multi-sensor acceleration measurements of vehicle dynamic responses

Track irregularities induce potential risks to the safety and stability of railway track systems. This paper proposes a novel methodology to identify vertical and lateral track irregularities. The method involves measuring system-based attitude calculation and a model-based unknown input observer estimator, based on the dynamic responses of distributed multi-sensors on the vehicle and bogie. First, a mechanical model of wheel-rail contacts is built with dynamic methods. The model considers the different directions of motion for a railway vehicle and consists of two bogies and four wheelsets. Based on the multi-sensor acceleration measurement, the vertical and lateral acceleration signals of the vehicle and bogies are integrated into the displacement signal. Then a state-space description of the vehicle suspension model is established for inverse dynamical analysis to extract the input signals. A suitable unknown input observer is constructed to estimate the track irregularities by transforming the state space equations of the vehicle into an augmented system that can monitor the track irregularities in-service. This method provides an opportunity to reduce the costs of the monitoring infrastructure and provide quicker and more reliable information about the status of a track.

A combined method to identify the rail irregularity at welded region

The track irregularities affect the safety and comfort of running vehicle and increase the dynamic responses of vehicle and track. There is the rail irregularity at the welded region, and the irregularity can be regarded as the superposition of two cosine waves with the long wavelength about 1 m and the short wavelength of 0.1–0.2 m. The welded location has both short-wavelength irregularity and long-wavelength irregularity. A combined method is presented to identify the rail irregularity at the welded region using the acceleration time history curve of wheelset. Firstly, the accelerations of wheelset are transformed into the different frequencies domain signals by wavelet transformation, and the rail irregularity with the short wavelength and high-frequency is determined. Secondly, the rail irregularity with the long wavelength and low-frequency is identified by the Wigner–Ville distribution or the short-time energy method. Finally, the rail irregularity at the welded region is determined by both of the above two steps met. The correctness of the proposed method is validated by numerical example. The proposed method can accurately and efficiently identify the high-frequency and low-frequency characteristics of the rail irregularity at the welded region.

Dynamic Analysis of the High Speed Train–Track Spatial Nonlinear Coupling System Under Track Irregularity Excitation

Track irregularity is the main factor that affects the safety and comfort of high-speed railway. It is important to study the influence of the track irregularity on the safety service of high speed train–track coupling system. In this paper, a vehicle–track spatial nonlinear coupled system dynamics model is developed with FEM. The model includes vehicle subsystem and track subsystem, which are coupled by wheel–rail interface. The vehicle subsystem is a 31-DOF spatial vehicle model, and the track subsystem is a three-dimensional slab track model composed of the rail, rail pad and track slab. Considering wheel tread profile and rail head profile, the wheel–rail spatial contact geometry relationship is established, and the “Trace method” and the “Minimum distance method” are used to search for wheel–rail contact points. Considering the nonlinear contact between the wheel and the rail, a numerical approach is presented, where the “Trace method” is embedded into the algorithm for solving the vehicle–track nonlinear coupling dynamics equation by cross iteration, realizing searching the wheel–rail contact points and solving the vehicle–track nonlinear coupling equation simultaneously, which greatly improves the efficiency of numerical analysis. As application examples, the dynamic responses of a high speed train–track spatial nonlinear coupled system excited by the track V-shaped local profile irregularity and the track torsional irregularity are analyzed. The results show that the algorithm is effective in solving the vehicle–track spatial nonlinear coupled system dynamics problem, and the track irregularity has significant influence on the dynamic response of vehicle and track structure.

A New Drive-by Method for Bridge Damage Inspection Based on Characteristic Wavelet Coefficient

The drive-by method has become a popular indirect approach for bridge damage inspection (BDI) because of its simplicity in deployment by evaluating the bridge health status solely via the vehicle dynamic response. Derived from the vehicle dynamic response, the recent proposed contact-point response involves no vibration signal with the vehicle frequency, bearing great potential for drive-by BDI. However, an appropriate methodology for the application of contact-point response in drive-by BDI remains lacking. The present study proposes a novel drive-by method, in which a new damage factor index, i.e., the characteristic wavelet coefficient (CWC), is established for bridge damage identification in an efficient and accurate manner. The CWC is obtained by analyzing the contact-point response via the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) techniques. CEEMDAN is introduced to overcome the issue of modal aliasing and pseudo-frequency. First, the general framework of the proposed drive-by BDI method is introduced. Then, a demonstration case study is carried out to examine the effectiveness of the proposed method. Subsequently, a parametric study is carried out to explore the effects of several parameters on the performance of BDI including the scale factor, vehicle speed, environmental noise, and boundary effect. The results indicate that the proposed drive-by BDI method can better eliminate the mode mixing and pseudo-frequency problems during the extraction of the CWC, compared with the traditional ensemble empirical mode decomposition method. The extracted CWC curve is smooth, convenient for damage inspection, and has strong anti-noise performance. After adding white noise with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20, a bridge girder with a damage severity of 20% can be identified successfully. In addition, the selection of the scale factor is critical for bridge damage inspection based on the extracted CWC. The effective scale factor of the CWC extracted using the proposed method has a wide range, which improves the inspection efficiency. Finally, a low vehicle speed is beneficial to alleviate the adverse effect of the boundary effect on the damage inspection of bridge girder ends.