Research Studies Project Report (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1983

A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of engineeriing, School of Engineering and Technology

The dynamic behavior of a two-axled passenger rail vehicle is investigated. The vehicle consisting of two wheelsets and a car body is idealized as a seven degree-of-freedom system. Only transverse movements are considered and small amplitude oscillations. Subsequently the equations of motion of the resulting linear system are established. In the present investigation it is assumed that no external force acts on the vehicle. A free vibration analysis is conducted which leads to the solution of the eigenvalue problem of a damped vibrating body. The eigenvalue problem is transtormed into the general algebraic eigenvalue problem with nonsymmetric matrix, which is solved numerically using the IBM package SLMATH. A parameter study is conducted varying the speed of the vehicle, its mass and stiffness. The eigenvalues. As soon ad the exponent of the amplatued of the motion becomes positive, the system is instable. By scanning the vehicle speed critical speeds of the vehicle can be determined.