Optimization of railway entry and exit transition curves

Abstract

Abstract This work concerns the optimization of the shapes of railway entry and exit transition curves (TCs). In this work, mathematical optimization and simulation methods are used. The applied computer simulation concerned the behaviour of the dynamical model of a two-axle rail vehicle. A polynomial of degree n, where n = 9 and 11, was adopted as a TC in the performed analyses. Three radii of the circular arc were used in the work – 600, 1,200, and 2,000 m. The aim of the research was to find optimum TC shapes taking into account the adopted criteria and to compare them with each other.