Bernhard Kurzeck

Dynamic Simulation of Friction-induced Vibrations in a Light Railway Bogie While Curving Compared with Measurement Results

It is a frequently observed phenomenon that curving of railway vehicles can involve friction-induced oscillations. The study presented in this paper investigates vibrations with a frequency of 80 Hz occurring at a light rail vehicle in Stuttgart in curves with radii between 50 and 200 m. The aim of the investigation was to identify the oscillation and transmission mechanism, and the dominant parameters within this. As the cause could not be clearly identified from the measurements, a multi-body simulation in the time domain was used. The model consisted of both vehicle and track and considered the structural dynamics of the wheelset and bogie frame up to 200 Hz. The system was modelled using the commercial MBS software SIMPACK. The identified model describes the oscillations observed at the real vehicle. The results proved to be useful in minimising the vibrations at the real vehicles.

Mechatronic track guidance on disturbed track: the trade-off between actuator performance and wheel wear

Future high-speed trains are the main focus of the DLR research project Next Generation Train. One central point of the research activities is the development of mechatronic track guidance for the two-axle intermediate wagons with steerable, individually powered, independently rotating wheels. The traction motors hereby fulfil two functions; they concurrently are traction drives and steering actuators. In this paper, the influence of the track properties – line layout and track irregularities – on the performance requirements for the guidance actuator is investigated using multi-body models in SIMPACK®. In order to compromise on the design conflict between low wheel wear and low steering torque, the control parameters of the mechatronic track guidance are optimised using the DLR in-house software MOPS. Besides the track irregularities especially the increasing inclination at transition curves defines high actuator requirements due to gyroscopic effects at high speed. After introducing a limiter for the actuating variables into the control system, a good performance is achieved.

Considerations on active control of crosswind stability of railway vehicles

The DLR research project Next Generation Train deals with concepts, methods and technologies for a very high-speed train in double-deck configuration and light-weight design. Due to these three key features, crosswind stability is a particular subject of study. It is shown that conventional approaches here fall short of guaranteeing safety in high-wind occurrences according to the given homologation standards. Therefore, this paper discusses the feasibility of different approaches to ensure crosswind stability by means of active control. Four different concepts are overviewed, the most promising one is then chosen und examined in detailed multibody simulations that are based on data from wind tunnel measurements of the Next Generation Train.

Influences on Nonlinear Judder Vibrations of Railway Brakes

The paper reports on a joined research project of Knorr-Bremse, Siemens Mobility and the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics. The goal of the project was to analyse the dynamical behaviour of friction brakes for high-speed trains. It was intended to gain insight into possible vibration mechanisms and to assess the potential for lay-out and operation improvements for future light-weight designs. In particular, the frequency range up to 250 Hz has been addressed, since the corresponding excitation is unavoidable at least to some extent and has to be considered when the brake system is designed. The study includes a comprehensive multibody simulation study and its comparison to experimental results at the test rig of Knorr-Bremse in Munich. The simulation model is adapted step by step in order to clearly identify and separate the influences on the dynamical properties of the complete brake system including its mounting. Additionally a minimal model is introduced that demonstrates some characteristics of the brake system. It turned out that the underlying knowledge is essential for the mechanical lay-out, which could be demonstrated by solving a particular vibration problem in an actual high-speed project.