Dutta, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-9906-6477, Harrison, T., Ward, C. et al. (2 more authors) (2024) A Framework for Dynamic Modelling of Railway Track Switches Considering the Switch Blades, Actuators and Control Systems. Railway Engineering Science, 32. pp. 162-176. ISSN 2662-4745
Abstract
The main contribution of this paper is the development and demonstration of a novel methodology that can be followed to develop a simulation twin of a railway track switch system to test the functionality in a digital environment. This is important because, globally, railway track switches are used to allow trains to change routes; they are a key part of all railway networks. However, because track switches are single points of failure and safety-critical, their inability to operate correctly can cause significant delays and concomitant costs. In order to better understand the dynamic behaviour of switches during operation, this paper has developed a full simulation twin of a complete track switch system. The approach fuses finite element for the rail bending and motion, with physics-based models of the electromechanical actuator system and the control system. Hence, it provides researchers and engineers the opportunity to explore and understand the design space around the dynamic operation of new switches and switch machines before they are built. This is useful for looking at the modification or monitoring of existing switches, and it becomes even more important when new switch concepts are being considered and evaluated. The simulation is capable of running in real time or faster meaning designs can be iterated and checked interactively. The paper describes the modelling approach, demonstrates the methodology by developing the system model for a novel “REPOINT” switch system, and evaluates the system level performance against the dynamic performance requirements for the switch. In the context of that case study, it is found that the proposed new actuation system as designed can meet (and exceed) the system performance requirements, and that the fault tolerance built into the actuation ensures continued operation after a single actuator failure.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Railway Track Switch, Mathematical Modelling, Redundant Actuation, Finite Element Analysis |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mechanical Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Oct 2023 12:58 |
Last Modified: | 17 Oct 2024 13:22 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s40534-023-00324-2 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:204198 |