Title: The optimisation of rail vehicle bogie parameters with the fuzzy logic method in order to improve passenger comfort during passage over bridges

Authors: Cihan Mızrak; İsmail Esen

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karabuk University, Karabük, 78050, Turkey ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karabuk University, Karabük, 78050, Turkey

Abstract: Dynamic forces due to moving loads, especially during passages over bridges, have an even more significant effect on passenger comfort. In this study, a rail vehicle bogie with 10 degrees of freedom (DOF) and an Euler-Bernoulli beam bridge model were constructed in order to assess passenger comfort under moving loads. Bogie, and bridge and rail irregularities were coupled by superposition and the effect of rail vehicle velocity, wagon mass, and rail irregularity on passenger comfort were determined by means of frequency weighted acceleration values obtained through simulations performed with the Newmark-β method. Using an interface integrated with the fuzzy logic expert system, the bogie suspension parameters were optimised according to vehicle velocity, wagon mass, and rail irregularities. The rail vehicle acceleration values resulting from the optimised suspension parameters and the suspension parameters reported in the literature were simulated and compared with one another; it was determined that the suspension parameters optimised by the fuzzy logic expert system resulted in an improvement in passenger comfort by over 34% at high velocities.

Keywords: multi-objective optimisation; fuzzy logic; passenger comfort; railway bridges; bridge crossings; rail vehicle bogies; Euler-Bernoulli beam bridge model; modelling; moving loads; heavy vehicles; railways; rail vehicle velocity; wagon mass; rail irregularities; frequency weighted acceleration; simulation; expert systems; bogie suspension parameters; ride comfort; rail passengers; train passengers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2017.083057

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2017 Vol.24 No.2, pp.113 - 139

Received: 17 Nov 2014
Accepted: 10 Jun 2015
Published online: 20 Mar 2017 *

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