Analytical study and evaluation of self-steering ability of elastically constrained wheelsets under traction/braking conditions

Abstract

Railway vehicles are often subjected to stationary creep forces, such as those resulting from traction/braking, which can significantly affect their dynamic performance. This paper presents an analytical method to analyse the steering performance of elastically constrained wheelsets under stationary traction/braking torque. Two indices, which are independent of vehicle velocity, the ‘self-steering index’ and the ‘lateral flexibility index’, are proposed to evaluate the steering ability. The impact of traction/braking condition on the steering ability is analysed, in which the saturation characteristics of wheel-rail creep are considered. The findings confirm that stationary longitudinal creep forces, arising from traction/braking, negatively impact the steering ability of elastically constrained wheelsets. The lateral displacements are found to be larger with the same lateral external force and consequently flange contact may occur. To control the system to avoid it reaching this extreme, an optimized torque distribution strategy is proposed to minimize the impact of traction/braking on the self-steering ability. The analytical method presented in this study offers insights into the dynamics of railway vehicles under complex working conditions, facilitating further research in this field.

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ORCID for David Thompson: orcid.org/0000-0002-7964-5906

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