Analysis of ride and stability of an ICF railway coach

Abstract

Suspension parameters influence the ride and stability of the rail vehicle simultaneously. This research work analyses the lateral ride and stability of 28 degrees of freedom model of an ICF General Sleeper railway coach formulated with Lagrangian dynamics. The lateral ride is evaluated considering ISO 2631-1 ride specifications. The stability is determined based on eigenvalue analysis carried out using MATLAB environment. The sensitivity of primary and secondary suspension parameters on ride and stability is analysed independently. Finally, suitable suggestions are given for primary and secondary suspension parameter values to obtain improved lateral ride and stability.