Determining Effects of Wagon Mass and Vehicle Velocity on Vertical Vibrations of a Rail Vehicle Moving with a Constant Acceleration on a Bridge Using Experimental and Numerical Methods

Abstract

Vibrations are vital for derailment safety and passenger comfort which may occur on rail vehicles due to the truck and nearby conditions. In particular, while traversing a bridge, dynamic interaction forces due to moving loads increase the vibrations even further. In this study, the vertical vibrations of a rail vehicle at the midpoint of a bridge, where the amount of deflection is expected to be maximum, were determined by means of a 1: 5 scaled roller rig and Newmark-β numerical method. Simulations for different wagon masses and vehicle velocities were performed using both techniques. The results obtained from the numerical and experimental methods were compared and it was demonstrated that the former was accurate with an 8.9% error margin. Numerical simulations were performed by identifying different test combinations with Taguchi experiment design. After evaluating the obtained results by means of an ANOVA analysis, it was determined that the wagon mass had a decreasing effect on the vertical vibrations of the rail vehicle by 2.087%, while rail vehicle velocity had an increasing effect on the vibrations by 96.384%.