Development and strength analysis of the sub-assembly implemented in the bearing structure of the 'Avenio' tram

Railway vehicle “Avenio” is a Siemens low-floor tram model. One of the steps towards the successful production of this tram is reflected in the optimal production of each sub-assemblies and element. The most important aspect of the development and production of elements is the safe operation of the vehicle system and comfort drive during exploitation. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the cost-effectiveness of its manufacture as well as maintenance costs. In order to reduce the production and maintenance costs of the whole system, the production of one of the components of this tram that is called a “tilt stabilizer” was optimized. This element has a very important role within the vehicle construction because it controls the inclination of the vehicle body in relation to the bogie around the longitudinal axis. This way reduces the discomfort to passengers caused by centrifugal force and prevents further narrowing of the vehicle profile. The primary design of this assembly is based on the welded construction. The device consists of 4 mechanical elements built into the tram structure. Bearing in mind that welded construction characterizes a higher cost of production, the idea was to design subassembly for the production on a numerically controlled machine and to successfully replace the current method of production in this way. For the newly adopted solution of the model, a static strength calculation was made which determined that the tested model satisfies the load conditions that occur in the structure. Static strength analysis was performed by finite element method in the "Ansys Workbench" software package, according to the criterion for equivalent "von - Mises" stresses. Results showed that modified structure and applying of new production method give absolutely acceptable assembly with requested strength and significantly lower life cycle costs.