Preliminary Design and Development Framework of Railway Vehicle Simulator for Engineering Evaluation Analysis

The purpose of the present study is to develop conceptual design of a railway vehicle simulator based on a scaled model. Although the scaled simulator is limited in its ability to manipulate the full dynamics of a full-size railway vehicle, it has been known to have an advantage in that it could provide means of testing the fundamental dynamic behavior within a limited laboratory space and at low operation cost. The present study proposes a design strategy for a simulator so that a small scaled roller rig could be fabricated and operated in laboratory setting based on the design philosophy. The data obtained from experimental testing using a scale model can be used to verify and interpret the dynamic performance of full-scale railway vehicle by applying appropriate non-dimensional analysis.