This study aims to analyze fundamental dynamical characteristics of a tilting railway vehicle using variable link mechanism for compensating both lateral acceleration that passengers feel and wheel load imbalance between inner and outer rails. Optimal control theory is applied to the vehicle body tilting system with a newly developed variable link mechanism. From computer simulation and experiment using a scale model, it is clarified that the proposed tilting system is effective to suppress both over-centrifugal acceleration and wheel load imbalance. In the paper, geometric relations between the center of rotation and the center of gravity and positions of four-links were analyzed. Then equation of the pendulum motion of railway vehicle body with four-link mechanism was derived for analyzing dynamic stability and natural frequency of the pendulum motion that depends on the link parameters as well as vehicle body parameters. Using these equations, lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle floor and imbalanced wheel load between inner and outer rails were theoretically studied and the natural frequency of the pendulum motion was theoretically obtained. These geometric and dynamic models of the tilting railway vehicle using link mechanism were verified by experiments. The experimental setup that is excited by hydraulic actuators is used to simulate the dynamic characteristics of the tilting vehicle body on the curved track. Among several tilting mechanisms developed up to now, this paper deals with the system using two links between bogie and swing bolster. A similar system used in Europe utilizes the principle of the pendulum motion, and applies the active control technique to stabilize the tilting angle of the vehicle body.
Study on car body tilting system using variable link mechanism (perfect tilting condition and tilting control)
Untersuchung eines Karosseriekippsystems mit variablem Triebwerk (perfekte Kippbedingung und Kippregler)
2004
6 Seiten, 15 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 3 Quellen
Conference paper
English