Prediction of the in-service performance of a railway hydraulic damper

Abstract

In this study, an improved physical parametric model with key in-service parameters was established and experimentally validated for a high-speed railway hydraulic damper. A subtle variable oil property model was built and coupled into the full model to address the dynamic flow losses and the relief-valve system dynamics. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the full damper model and simulation, which determined the damping characteristics over an extremely wide range of excitation speeds. Further simulations with in-service conditions and excitations were performed using the validated model, and the results revealed that improper key in-service parameters, such as improper rubber attachment stiffness, entrained air ratios and small mounting clearances, can greatly degrade the damping capability of a hydraulic damper. The obtained physical model includes all the influential factors that have an impact on the damping characteristics, so it will serve as a useful basic theory in the prediction of in-service performance, optimal specification and product design optimization of hydraulic dampers for modern high-speed rail vehicles.

Seismic performance of the combined viscous-steel damping system suffering from oil leakage

“…Ataei and Anaraki (2018) found that a leaked viscous damper must overcome the so-called "gap" phenomenon before it can engage in vibration control, and the gap will significantly alter the damping force. Wang et al (2017) and Huang and Zeng (2018) revealed that the air inside the hydraulic damper will degrade its dynamic stiffness and damping.…”