NUCARS®

Operational and design objectives are within reach using NUCARS® modeling software. Whether the goal is to reduce risk of derailment, increase passenger ride comfort, maximize component life, optimize designs, improve high wheel/rail wear rates, reduce rolling contact fatigue, improve poor wheel/rail performance, or any combination of the above, NUCARS® software can provide the data required by simulating the dynamic response of railroad vehicles to specified track conditions. NUCARS® software provides online calculation of wheel/rail contact using Kalker’s non-linear theory. It can be utilized to include multiple overlapping contact point, nearly any combination of worn wheel and rail profiles, including guard rails and back-of-flange contact, as well as changing rail profiles along the track section being modeled. The software provides for optional multi-body representation of track structure including rails, fasteners, sleepers, ballast, slabs and bridges, and it can simulate failed components and changes to the structures along the track. Gain knowledge and achieve objectives with NUCARS®. Available for license as well as consultation with TTCI experts.

Simulate Any Rail Vehicle
Freight, Passenger Coaches, Locomotive, Light Rail Vehicle, Metros and High-Speed Trains.

Simulate Any Types of Track
Tangent & Curves, Turnouts and special trackwork, Track irregularities, Measured Track Geometry, Track structure and Flexibilities.

Full Nonlinear Wheel-on-rail Contact Calculations
Multipoint contact, flange back contact, independently rotating wheels, variable W/R friction per wheel and along track.

Certification Support
NUCARS can be used to satisfy Federal Railroad Administration’s requirements under 49 CFR Appendix D to Part 213 – Minimally Compliant Analytical Track (MCAT). MCAT simulations are used for qualifying vehicles to operate at high speeds and at high cant deficiencies.

Faster Results
NUCARS® multi-body dynamics software is supported by robust real-world testing and peer reviewed reports. Analyze existing and new vehicle full-body models faster than finite element analysis.

A Tailored Experience
A flexible user interface allows users to visualize their models. MxV Rail’s experienced engineering team can work with you to develop unique solutions to your needs, as well as train staff to utilize the software’s full capabilities.

Validation

The NUCARS® software was benchmarked against a number of other railway vehicle dynamics computer programs during a cooperative benchmarking exercise sponsored by Manchester Metropolitan University in 1997 and 1998, [1]. This exercise demonstrated that NUCARS® compares favorably with other leading railway vehicle simulation programs, including VAMPIRE, GENSYS, ADAMS/Rail-MEDYNA, and SIMPACK. In general, NUCARS® simulation results were very similar to those of VAMPIRE and GENSYS. In terms of computational speed, NUCARS® and VAMPIRE were similar and considerably faster than the other programs.

The Beta track model capabilities of NUCARS® have been benchmarked against a number of other Track Models during a cooperative benchmarking exercise sponsored by Rail-CRC of Australia. This benchmark was coordinated by Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. The results of the benchmark were reported at the 2005 International Heavy Haul (IHHA) conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, [2].

The core strength of NUCARS® software development is the continuous benchmarking of simulations with test measurements of wheel/rail interaction forces and vehicle dynamic response. [3,4,5,6,7] provide an overview of the a number of validation and comparison efforts. Members of the NUCARS® development team are active participants in research and development projects at TTCI’s Pueblo test facility and for MxV Rail’s customers worldwide in the passenger and freight railway industry.

References

1. Iwnicki,S., Editor, “The Manchester Benchmarks For Rail Vehicle Simulation”, Supplement To Vehicle Systems Dynamics, Volume 31 (1999), Swets & Zeitlinger B.v., Lisse, The Netherlands, 1999
2. Steffens, D., Murray, M., Establishing Meaningful Results From Models Of Railway Track Dynamic Behaviour, Proceedings Of The 8th International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) Conference, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, June, 2005
3. Blader, F.b., Elkins, J.a., Klauser, P.e., Wilson, N.g., “Development And Validation Of A General Rail Vehicle Dynamics Simulation (Nucars),” Asme-Ieee Joint Railway Conference, Philadelphia Pa. April 1989.
4. Elkins, J.a., “Experimental Validation Of Multi-Body Programs” ,
5. Wilson, N.g., Gurule, S., “Application Of Instrumented Wheelset Technology To Transit System Research And Development”, Asme-Ieee Joint Railroad Conference, Boston, Ma, March 1997.
6. Elkins, J.a., Brickle,B., Singh, S., Wilson, N.g., Wu,H.,”Track Stucture Modelling With Nucarstm And Its Validation”, Proceedings Of 17th IAVSD Symposium, Lyngby, Denmark. August 2001.
7. Shu, X., Wilson, N., Sasaoka, C., Elkins, J., “Development Of A Real-Time Wheel/Rail Contact Model In Nucars™ And Application To Diamond Crossing And Turnout Design Simulations”, Presented At The 19th IAVSD Symposium, Milan, Italy, August 2005
8. Kalker, J.j., ‘The Computation Of Three Dimensional Rolling Contact With Dry Friction,’ International Journal For Numerical Methods In Engineering, Vol. 14, Pp. 1293-1307, 1979.
9. Wilson, N.g., Gurule, S.,”Simulation Of Wheel/Rail Interaction In Turnouts And Special Trackwork”, Proceedings Of 16th Iavsd Symposium, Pretoria, South Africa. September 1999.
10. Li, D., Elkins, J.a., Otter, D.e., Wilson, N.g.,”Vehicle/Track Dynamic Models For Wheel/Rail Forces And Track Response”, Heavy Vehicle Systems, International Journal Of Vehicle Design, Vol. 6, Nos. 1-4, Pgs 345,359, 1999.
11. Elkins, J.a., “Simulating High Speed Rail Using Nucars: A General Rail Vehicle Dynamics Program”
12. Elkins, J.a., Klasuer, P.e., Blader, F.b., “Applications Using Nucars; A General Purpose Rail Vehicle Dynamics Simulation”