Railway Vehicle Dynamics: Advances and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Railway vehicles, their sets forming trains or single units, and their elements, e.g., car bodies, bogies, propulsion systems, pantographs, etc., are often large physical objects. That is why studying their dynamical properties comprises two basic approaches. First, this is an approach based on their direct observations, experiments on them, and measurements of the chosen quantities during tests or experiments. Due to the scale, these are difficult to perform and costly. Second, there is an approach based on calculation methods, either analytical or computer ones, including numerical simulations, providing lower costs. Both these approaches to railway vehicle dynamics are successfully used to solve practical technical problems and gather and expand knowledge of the cognitive nature. The above statements make the most general outline of the present Special Issue’s scope. The issue is open for all papers connected with railway vehicle dynamics in the broadest possible sense, and those close to them. Thus, it is difficult to mention all the dynamical issues that can be the subject of potential papers. Examples could be dynamics of a vehicle’s general motion; perturbations in such general motion; propulsion systems; pantograph systems; and vehicle elements, e.g., body, bogie, and wheelset. Obviously, dynamics in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, considered individually or jointly, can be interesting. Also, the issue's scope covers the corresponding issues in straight track, regular curves, transition curves, turnouts, and other engineering objects. Besides the dynamics of vehicle motion itself, dynamical issues resulting from vehicle motion are included. That means all the problems related to vehicle construction that consider the dynamics of the railway vehicle–track system are included, too. Other issues of vehicle–track interactions, interactions with different infrastructure, and wheel–rail contact, considering their dynamical nature, are also interesting. All more specific issues for railway vehicles will be welcomed, such as stability, chaos, measurement methods, evaluation and assessment methods, simulation, suspension parameters influence, and new numerical tools and approaches to railway vehicle dynamical problems. Trains, vehicles, their elements, and subsystems in all railway categories are of interest, i.e., high-speed, conventional speed, passenger, freight, commuter, transit, metro, and monorail types. Authors of all papers on topics related to railway vehicles, more or less close to dynamical problems, not directly mentioned in the present summary, are warmly encouraged to consider submitting their papers.

This Special Issue welcomes original manuscripts concerning, but not limited to, solving, developing, and expanding theoretical or practical knowledge in railway vehicle studies of phenomena, properties, and processes of dynamical nature in the following issues:

• Railway vehicle dynamics in general;
• Modelling methods;
• Railway vehicle stability;
• Curving dynamics and performance;
• Vehicle–infrastructure interactions;
• Comfort problems;
• Dynamical issues in vehicle construction;
• Railway vehicle suspension;
• Vehicle durability;
• Research and engineering tools;
• Methods of dynamical studies, including simulation.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Zboiński
Guest Editor

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• railway vehicle dynamics
• numerical simulation
• railway vehicle stability
• numerical tools
• methods of railway vehicle dynamics
• vehicle construction
• vehicle–track interactions
• vehicle–infrastructure interactions