Dynamic modeling of a metro vehicle considering the motor–gearbox transmission system under traction conditions

Abstract. As a vital means of transportation to alleviate urban traffic congestion, the metro vehicle has been developing rapidly in China during recent years. For the violent vibration and shock under the frequent switches between traction and braking conditions, higher requirements are put forward in the drive system. The dynamic performance of the traction motor and gearbox, which are the key elements in the drive system of the metro vehicle, is worthy of attention. Based on the classical vehicle–track coupled dynamics and the gear dynamics theory, a vertical–longitudinal dynamics model for a metro vehicle with frame-hung motors and gearboxes is developed in this paper. This model enables the consideration of some complicated excitations, such as external excitations (the track vertical irregularity) and internal excitations (the mesh stiffness and the dynamic transmission error). The established dynamics model is then validated by comparing the simulated results with the field test results in both time domain and time–frequency domain under traction conditions. Consequently, the established dynamics model is demonstrated to be capable of revealing the dynamic performance of the metro vehicle effectively, especially for the traction and transmission system in the entire vehicle vibration environment of a metro. In turn, the results indicate that the gear transmission has a great and lasting effect on the force state of the traction motors and gearboxes compared to its effect on the axle load transfer.