Simulation of mathematical model for monorail suspension system under different track conditions

Abstract

Designing a new monorail suspension system for an existing monorail bogie to accommodate larger cars, locomotives and more passengers is a difficult and complicated problem to solve. This paper introduces a simulation of a mathematical model for a monorail suspension system that can be used as an analytical tool to investigate and predict the behavior of the model under different speeds and track conditions. In this paper, the simulation is performed to predict some dynamic characteristics monorail suspension system. This research work concentrates on the simulation of 15 degrees of freedom full-car Monorail suspension system. The model features the Monorail body, Front bogie, and rear bogie geometries, adopted equations of motion of the monorail suspension system and system matrices. Numerical Central Difference method was used to obtain the system responses subject to sinusoidal Track excitations. Three Track scenarios that have different loads and different driving speeds were conducted to investigate the monorail suspension system. The system results are analysed in terms of their dynamic responses. Fourier Fast transforms was used to calculate the frequency ranges of dynamic responses. As a result, some very important characteristics of the Monorail suspension system were revealed, with indicators that help to understand the effects of driving speeds and different loads, which can be used to better understand the system dynamic performance, to improve Monorail suspension system designs flaws detection