Extended Kalman filter for estimation of contact forces at wheel-rail interface

Abstract

The wheel-track interface is the most significant part in the railway dynamics because the forces produced at wheel-track interface governs the dynamic behavior of entire vehicle. This contact force is complex and highly non-linear function of creep and affected with other railway vehicle parameters. The real knowledge of creep force is necessary for reliable and safe railway vehicle operation. This paper proposed model-based estimation technique to estimate non-linear wheelset dynamics. In this paper, non-linear railway wheelset is modeled and estimated using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Both wheelset model and EKF are developed and simulated in Simulink/MATLAB.