Evaluation of Bogie Frame Safety of Shanghai Metro Line 1 by 3D FEM Analysis

The vehicle bogies of Shanghai metro line 1 began to crack just in the third year after the trains operated. More than 50 cracks occurred in the succeeding six year during the train operation. This paper evaluated the safety of the motorized bogies. First, the loading conditions imposed on the vehicle structure were calculated based on the measured data in service of the train, and compared with the original design load. Then, this paper calculated simulated the stress of the vehicle bogie by 3D FEM, and presented the distribution of every stress concentration point in Goodman fatigue diagram. The computational locations of the strength less than the safety are agreed with where cracks have happened. Finally, this paper calculated the fatigue life of the motor bracket of the bogie through S-N curve based on revised Miner theory. In conclusion, this paper think that the bogie cracks of Shanghai metro line 1 are contributed by the overburden fatigue load, and ignoring the lateral vibration load in the design of the vehicle bogie is the important cause that bogie cracks occurred far earlier than in the designed time.