Study on the ride comfort of a high-speed sleeper train

The difference in vibration characteristics between passengers and sleepers on high-speed sleeper train ride comfort was rarely studied. This work proposed a 3D rigid-flexible passenger-sleeper-vehicle-track coupling model. The multi-rigid body dynamic method models the supine passengers and sleepers. The detailed car body FE (finite element) model, which contains the train's suspension equipment, is established. Based on the coupling model, the ride comfort index, calculated based on different standards, is analyzed. The difference in the ride comfort index, evaluated using the acceleration at the sleeper and passenger, is compared. Also, the impact of the car body flexibility and the passenger-sleeper model parameters on the ride comfort of a supine human is studied. Then, the ride comfort of the high-speed sleeper train is analyzed when the train is subject to track irregularities excitation, and aerodynamic force (meeting). The results show that using the acceleration of the sleeper can overestimate the ride comfort of the high-speed sleeper train. The head-, and pelvis-sleeper contact parameters are crucial for high-speed sleeper train ride comfort. The ride comfort of the high-speed sleeper trains decreases sharply when trains meeting and passing the special track section.