Jerk analysis in rail vehicle dynamics

Summary The acceleration and deceleration of trains are essential for satisfactory performance of train services and for effective utilisation of line capacity by railways for a given network. However, it increases the risk of unbalancing the passengers. Therefore, in this paper, the jerk was analysed in the vehicle in order to examine its effect on safety and comfort to the passengers. For the purpose of this analysis, a rake with 24 ICF coaches fitted with CBC (H type tight lock) and low preload draft gear hauled by WDP4 locomotive was considered. It was modelled using Universal Mechanism – a multibody dynamic software. Also, in addition, the vehicle is considered to be subjected to external forces such as rolling resistance, longitudinal wheel resistance, and gravitational force. The tractive and braking efforts for the locomotives are also considered with realistic track conditions between Lucknow and Kanpur of India. The presented results suggest that the CBC with balanced type draft gear reduces the jerk in the train.