Assessment of Active Wheelset Steering System Using Computer Simulations and Roller Rig Tests

Abstract

The paper is created within a project which aims to design a system of active wheelset steering for an electric four-axle locomotive. The wheelset steering system enables reduction in forces acting in the wheel-rail contacts in a curved track and consequently a reduction in wear and maintenance costs of both vehicles and rails is achieved. The project consists of three main parts: computer simulations, scaled roller rig experiments, and field tests. The paper is focused on the fundamental aspects of the first and the second part on the project. Track curvature estimation based on the rotation of the bogies towards the car body is proposed and assessed by computer simulations across varying track radiuses, vehicle speeds, and friction conditions. The scaled roller rig has been innovated in order to simulate bogie run in a curved track with uncompensated value of lateral acceleration and instrumented with a system of measurement of lateral wheel-rail forces. The experimental bogie has been equipped with systems of active wheelset steering and measurement of axle-box forces. The experiment setup, newly developed and applied systems of forces measurement and wireless signal transmission, and results of the first experiments are described in detail. Performed computer simulations and scaled roller rig experiments show that active wheelset steering is effective and practically implementable method of reducing guiding forces acting between railway vehicle wheels and rails in a curved track.

Keywords

• active wheelset steering
• roller rig
• wheel-rail contact forces
• guiding forces