Identifying the relationship between suspension parameters of underframe equipment and carbody modal frequency

Abstract As a critical component of the railway vehicle, underframe equipment has a great influence on the ride comfort of railway vehicles due to their big mass and active vibration. Therefore, study on the relationship between suspension parameters of underframe equipment and the modal frequency of carbody is extremely crucial for controlling the ride quality of railway vehicles. In this paper, a finite element model of the carbody was developed to investigate the effects of the suspension location, the mass of the suspension equipment, and the suspension frequency on the mode of the carbody. Then, the matching relationship between the suspension parameters and the modal frequency of the carbody was studied through the transfer function. In addition, roller rig tests were performed to verify the numerical simulation model of the carbody. The results show that the suspension parameters of the underframe equipment have a great influence on the mode of the carbody, especially for the frequency of the first bending mode. To improve the frequency of carbody high-frequency bending and reduce energy transfer, equipment with a large mass should be suspended toward the middle of the carbody. The weight of the equipment strongly affects the first bending frequency and energy transfer of the carbody. The frequency of heavy suspended equipment should be sufficiently low to increase the transmissibility of high frequencies and improve the vibration characteristics of the carbody. Although the bending frequency of the carbody can be improved effectively by increasing the suspension stiffness of the suspension equipment, in order to reduce carbody vibration effectively, the suspension frequency of the equipment should be slightly lower than the carbody bending frequency.