Research & Academia
There is significant scope to improve the safety, comfort and cost associated with operating a modern rail network through improved vehicle suspension systems and refinements to the wheel / rail interface. Modern dynamics software packages like VAMPIRE® Pro provide a means of developing new approaches and evaluating them in a thorough and scientific manner including:
- developing and evaluating conceptual suspension designs
- understanding and predicting wheel / rail wear and Rolling Contact Fatigue
- helping to develop standards for dynamic performance such as derailment resistance
While dynamics software has traditionally been used as a tool to solve predominantly vehicle related issues, there is increasing interest in dynamics as it relates to the infrastructure and the effect of the vehicles on that infrastructure including:
- modelling switches and crossings (points)
- predicting contact forces, rail head wear and Rolling Contact Fatigue
- predicting gauge spreading forces
VAMPIRE® Pro is also provide an ideal tool for educational purposes, with applications including:
- showing how mathematical vehicle models are constructed
- clearly demonstrating modes of vibration
- experimenting with the effect of damping and / or spring stiffnesses