LAUSR

The article presents authors’ recent results on nonlinear lateral stability of rail vehicles in a curved track. The theories of self-exciting vibrations and bifurcation are the key elements here. The general objective is presentation of extended use of the earlier worked out authors’ method to more complex rail vehicle models. Two 4-axle vehicle models were created. The first one represents coach MKIII described with multibody software by the first author. The second one represents coach 127A described with use of engineering multibody software VI-Rail. The models are described, and method of the analysis is shortly reminded. Then, results for both models are presented. They include verification of the limit cycle possible passage from straight track to circular curve and stability maps for regular curves of different radii and straight track. Next influence of selected suspension parameter and wheel–rail coefficient of friction on vehicle stability is shown. The more general objective is the authors’ say in the hot polemics on the advisability of rail vehicle stability analysis in curves and on the advantages of the nonlinear methods of such analysis over the linear ones.