Abstract
The main contribution of this paper is the development and demonstration 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 FE 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 and demonstrates the methodology by developing the system model for a novel “REPOINT” switch system and evaluating the system level performance against the switch’s dynamic performance requirements. 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.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Railway Engineering Science |
Early online date | 9 Jan 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 9 Jan 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Acknowledgments:This research was supported by the European Union’s ‘Shift2Rail’ through No. 826255 for the project IN2TRACK2: Research into enhanced track and switch and crossing system 2. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Network Rail for providing the drawings and data.
Keywords
- Railway Track Switch
- Mathematical Modelling
- Finite Element Analysis
- Redundant Actuation