Modeling of an Elastic Wheelset in a Multibody Environment

Abstract

Modelling the wheelsets of a train elastically opens up possibilities to predict wear, do acoustic calculations and predict the behaviour of a train at high velocities. Including an elastic wheelset in an existing multi body code with the normal Lagrangian approach however introduces problems since the rotation of the wheelset makes it very difficult to model the rail-wheel interface. Different ways to describe an elastic wheelset are introduced. From these description ways the Arbitrary Lagrangrian Eulerian (ALE) description is suited very well since it can overcome the problems introduced by a Largrangian approach. A way to generate the flux terms of the ALE description directly from the standard input date of flexible elements is presented. Moreover a method to implement the ALE description in SIMPACK or Modellica is provided.