Dynamic Analysis of the High Speed Train and Slab Track Nonlinear Coupling System with the Cross Iteration Algorithm

A model for dynamic analysis of the vehicle-track nonlinear coupling system is established by the finite element method. The whole system is divided into two subsystems: the vehicle subsystem and the track subsystem. Coupling of the two subsystems is achieved by equilibrium conditions for wheel-to-rail nonlinear contact forces and geometrical compatibility conditions. To solve the nonlinear dynamics equations for the vehicle-track coupling system, a cross iteration algorithm and a relaxation technique are presented. Examples of vibration analysis of the vehicle and slab track coupling system induced by China’s high speed train CRH3 are given. In the computation, the influences of linear and nonlinear wheel-to-rail contact models and different train speeds are considered. It is found that the cross iteration algorithm and the relaxation technique have the following advantages: simple programming; fast convergence; shorter computation time; and greater accuracy. The analyzed dynamic responses for the vehicle and the track with the wheel-to-rail linear contact model are greater than those with the wheel-to-rail nonlinear contact model, where the increasing range of the displacement and the acceleration is about 10%, and the increasing range of the wheel-to-rail contact force is less than 5%.