Steering and Stability of Unsymmetric Articulated Railway Vehicles

Abstract

For railway vehicles having coned wheels mounted on solid axles, there is a conflict between the stability of lateral deviations from the motion along the track and ability to steer round curves. A general theory is developed which shows that any articulated, unsymmetric vehicle, which lacks elastic members in the interconnections between wheelsets, can be made stable for running in one direction only. However, an example of a particular configuration of two-axle vehicle shows that the provision of elastic restraint can make it possible to choose vehicle parameters which ensure static and dynamic stability and perfect steering on curves in either direction of motion.