DynoTRAIN: introduction of simulation in the certification process of railway vehicles

A method to introduce the simulation in the railway certification process is described in this study. Since the track / vehicle system is non-linear, and since critical situations (rare events) are considered, the modelling of the excitations (running conditions for example) must be very precise and representative. These are moreover related to poorly determined parameters which can vary along the track and during the life cycle of the system : the friction coefficient for example depends on the weather conditions; the rail profile depends on the radius of the track, as well as on tonnage. In order to have a relevant certification, the method proposed thus insists on the introduction of the variability in the simulation and presents a sensitivity analysis.