An Alternate Search Method and An Extended Trace Line Method for Wheel‐Rail Contact Patch Centers Detection

Abstract

AbstractWheel‐rail contact is a link between the vehicle system and the rail system, and the contact processing approach affects accuracy of vehicle dynamic simulation. Contact detection is usually the start of wheel‐rail contact calculation, and detecting precision of contact patch center affect accuracy of contact force calculating results, therefore it is significant to improve detecting precision of contact patch center. An alternate search method (ASM) and an extended trace line method are proposed to improve precision and efficiency of contact patch centers detection. The proposed alternate search method applies Golden Ratio Search Method and variable intervals between grids to detect contact patch centers. To make the detected contact patch centers match rail tangential directions better, an extended trace line method is constructed based on geometrical constraints between contact points and rail tangential directions. Dynamic simulations of a bogie vehicle formed by two wheelsets and a bogie frame negotiating a rail curve are conducted to evaluate effects of the proposed methods. Calculating times of the proposed methods for finishing the simulations are compared to explain computational efficiencies of the different methods. The proposed approaches are real‐time capable and can be used for vehicle dynamics simulations.