Institute of
Railway Technology
Institute of Railway Technology
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Monash University, Australia
PO Box 31, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
www.irt.monash.edu
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems Using Instrumented Wagons and
Modeling with Universal Mechanism
August 28, 2014
Newcastle
Russell Bowey, Amir Shamdani
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 2
Outline
• Background: Why worry about in-train forces?
• Field Monitoring: Instrumentation and automated data collection
• Computer Modelling: Evaluating options
• Concluding remarks
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 3
In-train forces – why worry?
Heavy haul operators increase train length and axle loads in order to increase
productivity.
The downside is higher in-train forces.
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 4
In-train forces – why worry?
Higher forces result in:
• Broken components (couplers, knuckles …)
Increased mainline delays
Increased dumping delays
• Reduced component life / increased maintenance cost
• Increased derailment risk
(particularly on empty trains)
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 5
In-train forces – why worry?
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 6
What to do…
You can’t manage what you don’t measure!
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 7
Standard rail vehicles fitted permanently with logging units. Primary use is for track condition monitoring.
Instrumented Wagons
Battery housing
Solar panels
Main
logging unit
Transducers
GPS and Telecommunications
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Condition MonitoringRail surface monitoring (wheel impacts)
-20
-10
0
10
20g
-10
-5
0
5
10
mm
139380.0 139382.5 139385.0 139387.5 139390.0 139392.5Time (Seconds)
Track geometrymonitoring
(bounce and roll)
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Continuous MonitoringIOC Data collection
Automated Download
Automated data processing
• Automated email• Status Reports.• Severity 1 Reports• In-Train Event Reports• Human check
Inspect, program & repair (Severity 1 = Immediate)
• Daily/ Weekly status reports• Track segment reports• Trending analysis• Load spectrum data• Specific project requests
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 10
Advantages
Advantages over traditional track geometry vehicles:
• Doesn’t interfere with production
• Same dynamic response as the fleet
(same speed, axle load, suspension)
• Cheaper to purchase and operate
• More frequent coverage
• Redundancy (multiple recording units)
• Can easily record extra parameters:
Coupler force, brake pressures
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 11
Example: In-train force report
Brake pipe pressure
Coupler Force
Speed
Brake cylinder Pressure
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Example: Coupler slack control
Bunching the train prior to braking reduced the peak force
from 180 tonnes to 80 tonnes
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 13
Examples: Brake application timing
-2-1012
187 188 189 190 191 192
Fo
rce
(M
N)
250
450
650
BP
P (
kP
a)
295
305
315
325
187 188 189 190 191 192
Ele
va
tio
n (
m)
Direction of TravelTrack Profile
-2-1012
187 188 189 190 191 192
Fo
rce
(M
N)
250
450
650
BP
P (
kP
a)
Example 1: Mid-train Coupler Force due to Brake
Example 2: Mid-train Coupler Force due to Brake
Brake Pipe Pressure
Coupler Force
Track Location (km)
Earlier brake application reduces the run-in (185t to 55t)
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Dumper A Dumper BLoading
Loaded travelEmpty travel
Time (hr)
Controlling In-Train ForcesSystem review – where does the damage
accumulate?
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 15
Controlling In-Train Forces
Total Coupler Damage due to
Tensile Loads
Mainline –Empty trip
8%
Dumper B 41%
Total Coupler Damage due to
Compressive Loads
Mainline –Loaded trip
64%
Dumper B 16%
System analysis – where does the damage accumulate?
Mainline –Loaded trip
38%
Dumper A 13%
Mainline –Empty trip
4%
Dumper A 16%
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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System changes
Field testing is great for telling you what is happening now – but what about planning for future operational changes?
• Extrapolation (ok, but limited)
• Heuristics (fuzzy!)
• Trial and error (safety and regulation)
or computer modelling…
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Modelling & Simulation
$
Need
Concept
Shortens Schedules
Improves Product & Process Development
Saves Time
$ Savings
Design Modification
Production & Deployment
Prove system need:Use models to
emulate operational situation
Test concepts in the simulation using
models
Refine requirementsReduce program risks
Smooth transition to operation
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Areas of Application• Dumper throughput studies:
– Optimization of production throughput versus wagon damage
• Axle load evaluation
• Train / rake length analysis
• Component failure analysis:
– Predicting fatigue damage of components
– Life prediction
• Derailment investigation:
– Simulation of derailment processes (calculation of safety factors, lateral/vertical/in-train forces, frame forces)
– Cause identification, risk mitigation
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Universal Mechanism (UM)• UM is a multi-body simulation package with task-oriented modules
specific to the simulation of railway vehicle dynamics. Modelling capabilities:
– Interaction of longitudinal and lateral/vertical dynamics (wheel/rail interaction, speed response, axle load capacity, derailment investigation)
– Component failure analysis (stress, strain, and fatigue)
– Batch processing (calculating optimal values of system’s parameters)
Train Model
Three-Piece Bogie
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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In-Train Forces (Yard Operations)• The contribution of yard operation to total coupler
damage is significant.
• Several studies looked at dumper indexing influencing factors to improve indexing procedures and reduce coupler failures:– Speed profile
– Drag braking effort
– Rake length
– Operational changes (slow dumping)
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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UM Dumper Model Outline• IRT has developed a dumper indexing model to complement instrumented wagon field
recordings for dumper studies.
• The model can be customised to specific operations and validated using IOC data.
• Currently the tuneable inputs to the model are:
– Train make-up (number of cars/locos, axle loads)
– Indexing parameters
Acceleration/deceleration rate
plateau speed
– Draft gear characteristics
– 3 dimensional track geometry
• UM co-simulation with Matlab / Simulink:
– Simulink enables simulation of complex indexing arm control systems to be modelled.
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Dumper Model Animation
Velocity (m/s) vs. time (sec)Coupler Forces (N) vs. time (sec)
Car5: greenCar40: pinkCar75: blueCar120: red
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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IRT – Computational Mechanics Ltd Partnership
• Partnership with Computational Mechanics Ltd
• IRT has been given:– Exclusive rights to sell and provide technical support for
Universal Mechanism (UM) Software to the railway industry in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Hong Kong & Singapore
– Rights to sell and provide technical support for the worldwide railway industry
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Summary
Instrumentation
• Monitor mainline and dumper forces
• Provide training and feedback to drivers
• Develop optimal driving strategies
• Identify areas of operation where damage accumulates
• Tune computer models
Computer modelling
• Evaluate operational options
• Driver training
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Summary
Other program areas
• Improved maintenance inspections (NDT)
(to remove damaged components before failure)
• Improved record keeping of incidents
• Metallurgical studies to evaluate components
• Component modifications
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
Page 26
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Modelling Capabilities• Model generation:
– Locomotive driving inputs
– Unrestricted length of train
– Batch processing capability
– External inputs (e.g. positioner/indexer arm mechanical and control system)
• Simulation:
– Track profile definition (curve/tangent, gradient, switch section, superelevation, gauge widening)
– Train resistance (aerodynamic drag, Rolling, curving, grade)
– Locomotive characteristics (tractive effort, dynamic braking)
– Wagon connection models (autocouplers, drawbars)
– Draft gear characteristics (coupler slack, spring characteristics, stick-slip friction by a wedge system)
– Braking (Pneumatic, ECP)
– Distributed power
– Interaction of longitudinal and lateral/vertical dynamics
• Outputs:
– Export all results into spreadsheet/text format (in time and space domain)
– Variables: In-train force, creepage, displacement, velocity, acceleration, brake pipe/cylinder pressure, fatigue and damage (stress/strain life data), energy usage
– Visualization (animation, graphical)
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Advantages Over Other Modelling Software
• Effectiveness of numerical simulation (UIM simulation speed is up to 10 times faster than other simulation packages)
• Effective and reliable model analysis is enabled by full parameterization of the model
• Animation of motion during the numerical simulation (very convenient during testing and checkout phases of modelling)
• Task-oriented modules for the railway industry (longitudinal train dynamics in 1D and 3D)
• Direct interface with most popular CAD programs
• Direct interface with Matlab/Simulink
• Service of distributed calculations for parallel simulation experiments
• Direct interface with ANSYS and MSC NASTRAN to perform fatigue damage calculation of mechanical parts
• Inclusion of deformable/flexible bodies in the model (e.g. vibration analysis of car body and bogie frame with the presence of irregularities, vehicle-bridge interaction)
• The scanning, optimization, and approximation tool allows calculating optimal parameters of the system
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Who is using Universal Mechanism?• More than 10 design and manufacturing organizations within the Russian railway industry
• Australia: IRT, WorleyParsons
• USA: Amsted Rail
• Spain: Vossloh Espana
• China: Chinese Academy of Railway Sciences, Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Research Institute
• Turkey: State Railways of the Turkish Republic, TUBITAK Marmara Research Centre
• Indonesia: Indonesian Railway Industry, The national Transportation Safety Committee
• Slovakia: ASTRA Rail
• Ukraine: State Research and Design Centre of Railway Transport
• Many universities in Russia, USA, China, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, South Korea, Lithuania
• More than 10 postdoctoral and doctoral research projects
• More than 50 publications
Institute of
Railway Technology
Effective Management of In-train Forces on Heavy-Haul Systems
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Software Verification
Note: AS7509.2 does not specify any regulations nor does it specify any suitable simulation software for the purpose of modelling of longitudinal train dynamics.
• A number of field and test bench experiments were performed to validate simulation results of Universal mechanism by some independent bodies.
• The description of Universal Mechanism models as well as the results of simulation of test cars from the Manchester Benchmarks are available for Universal Mechanism Software. Simulation results and their comparison with other simulation packages can be found here: http://www.universalmechanism.com/download/70/eng/10_um_loco_manchester_benchmarks.pdf
• An example of comparison of results is shown in the next slide.