Lateral stability of rail vehicles- A comparative study

Abstract

In this study, a linear analysis is developed to evaluate the critical speed for a rail vehicle when wheels with controlled creep forces are used. We show the effect of varying the primary and secondary suspension parameters and varying a few others such as the effective conicity, the masses and the torsional-damping coefficient between wheels. We show that critical speeds at which the instability occurs can be increased beyond the actual operating speed by proper selection of design parameters. We show in particular the interest of a yaw stiffness provided between the car body and each bogie frame in conjunction with a primary suspension system having springs with relatively lower longitudinal stiffness a feature that allows good curving performance. The behaviour of the vehicle is considered in comparison with that of a conventional one having, rigid wheel sets or free wheels turning on the same axle independently of each other