Rail vehicles experience problems of hunting and severe wheel/rail wear which result in lower critical speeds. The design of the conventional railway wheelset, consisting of two wheels mounted rigidly on an axle, is one of the main factors inhibiting high-speed operation of rail vehicles. In this paper the potential for good dynamic stability at high speeds and improved ride comfort in a rail vehicle equipped with an independently rotating wheelset (IRW) having yaw control are examined. The control for the yaw rotation is provided by a state-variable feedback controller.
NarayanaswamyS.DukkipatiR. V.OsmanM. O. M.A review of the dynamics of independently rotating wheel systems for railway vehiclesIn Rotating Machinery and Vehicle Dynamics, DE-Vol. 35, 1991, pp. 331–338 (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York).
2.
AhmedA. K. W. Lateral stability and steady-state curving behavior of railway freight car system with elasto-damper coupled wheelset. PhD thesis, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, 1986.
3.
ElkinsJ. A. The performance of three piece bogies equipped with independently rotating wheels. In Proceedings of 11th IAVSD Symposium, August 1989, pp. 203–216.
4.
ChoromanskiW.KisilowskiJ. Dynamics of railway bogies with independently rotating wheels and controlled slip. In Proceedings of 11th IAVSD Symposium, August 1989, pp. 108–125.
5.
KwakernaakH.SivanR.Linear Optimal Control Systems, 1972 (Wiley-Interscience, New York).
6.
CeinikerG. W.HedrickJ. K. Rail vehicle active suspension for lateral ride and stability improvements. ASME paper 81-WA/DSC-14, 1981.
