Optimization of the alignments of turnout guide curves based on multi-body dynamics

In order to improve the passing through branch lines performance of a railway turnout, considering the structural characteristics of the turnout, it was proposed to reduce the guide curve of the inner rail of the side strands to achieve the purpose of setting the superelevation in the turnout. Taking the 42 turnout as an example, two new line types, the cubic curve & cubic curve and the 7th curve & 7th curve, were designed to establish the vehicle-turnout coupled dynamics model. Based on the coupled model and comparing the derailment coefficient and wheel-rail lateral force under different working conditions, it is found that setting the superelevation and using the higher-order curve in the guide curve are effective, which can improve the safety and speed of the vehicle compared with the existing type. The extreme value of the derailment coefficient of the new alignments is reduced by 14.4%-20.0%, and the extreme value of the wheel-rail lateral force is reduced by 14.5%-26.4%. © 2022, Editorial Office of Journal of Vibration and Shock. All right reserved.