Impact vibration behavior of railway vehicles: a state-of-the-art overview

Excessive vibrations of railway vehicles induced by dynamic impact loadings have a significant impact on train operating safety and stability; however, due to the complexity and diversity of railway lines and service environment, they are extremely difficult to eliminate. A comprehensive overview of recent studies on the impact vibration behavior of railway vehicles was given in this paper. First, the sources of impact excitations were categorized in terms of wheel-rail contact irregularity, aerodynamic loads, and longitudinal impulses by train traction/braking. Then the main research approaches of vehicle impact vibration were briefly introduced in theoretical, experimental, and simulation aspects. Also, the impact vibration response characteristics of railway vehicles were categorized and examined in detail to various impact excitation sources. Finally, some attempts of using the railway vehicle vibration to detect track defects and the possible mitigation measures were outlined.