Simulation of Degraded Wheel-Rail Adhesion Conditions on a Scaled Roller Rig for Railway Bogies: The Effect of Wheel-Roller Contact on Control Performance

The paper presents the main features of the multibody model of a railway bogie roller rig, with a particular attention to the wheel/roller contact model. The contact model was adapted from a previous work relative to the wheel/rail pair: the contact point location was based on a semianalytic procedure, while the contact forces were evaluated according to Hertz and Kalker theories. The model was developed in order to investigate control performance of the roller rig when degraded adhesion conditions are simulated and then high frequency variation of the roller motor torques are applied. The the results of some preliminary numerical tests will be presented, devoted to the validation of the multibody model are presented and discussed.