Stability of Railway - Car Running at High Speed

SUMMARY From a classical study of railway stability, the author shows how the equations of motion of a railway-car having: either a counter hunting damping device, between wheelset and truck frame, or a direct or crossed stiffness device between front and rear wheelsets are modified. The critical speed is determined by eigenvalues of matrix A (9,9). From the critical speed variations as a function of: CR typical value of counter hunting damping device, K′ b or K′ b typical value of direct or crossed stiffness, we can say that: the influence of these original systems on the critical speed is more interesting for higher values of equivalent conicity γe, for lower values of γe, the critical speed is high already. the best values of CR of K′ b (or K′ b ) are defined from curves given the critical speed as a function of CR or K′ b (orK′ b ). a crossed stiffness device is more interesting that a direct stiffness device.