Finite element analysis for resilient wheelset

The resilient wheelset has been widely used in light rail transit abroad. The practices indicate that it is of advantage to reduce wheel/rail noise, dynamic wheel/rail force and improve passenger ride comfort. In this paper, stresses, deformations and modalities of the resilient wheelset are analyzed by using the finite element analysis program ANSYS. The calculative results are compared with the results of the rigid wheelset. The studies on the influence of constitutive parameters of rubber on static strength of the resilient wheelset are also presented. The results indicate that the maximum equivalent stresses of the resilient wheelset and the rigid wheelset appear at the wheel spoke attached to the axle, and the peak value of the resilient wheelset is larger than that of the rigid wheelset. The material parameters of the rubber have large effects on stresses and strains of the rubber. It is necessary to select the optimum parameters. It is also acquired that the low inherent frequencies of the resilient wheelset is less than those of the rigid wheelset, which determines that the resilient wheelset has high efficiency in reducing vibrations.