Curving Simulation of Ultralow-Floor Light Rail Vehicles With Independently Rotating Wheelsets

In this investigation, curving performance of an ultralow-floor light rail vehicle (LRV) is investigated. To this end, LRV model with independently rotating wheels is developed and used for full vehicle dynamics simulations. A parallel computing algorithm for railroad vehicle simulations is implemented for reducing overall CPU time associated with wheel/rail contact search and force evaluations. Using the numerical procedure developed in this investigation, curving performances of an ultralow-floor LRV are discussed. Steady state lateral forces on small radius curved track are compared between the full vehicle simulation and the on-track test. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that use of friction modifiers on inner rail is effective for reducing lateral contact forces of LRV with independently rotating wheels on tight radius curved track.