1. Case Study: Talgo Business: Railway rolling stock manufacturer
Challenge: Investigate dynamic behavior of high-speed train
Solution: Virtual product development with MSC.ADAMS/Rail
Value: Simulation enables to virtually perform design certification with less cost and to investigate system behavior through tests which cannot be performed physically
Business: The International expansion of the services provided by Talgo trains and Equipment has provided the basis for the creation of a group of companies united by the common aim of improving the application of technological innovation of Talgo products and maintenance services in the Railway sector of different countries.
At the present time, the specific activities of the Talgo Group focus on the design, manufacture and maintenance of trains and railway equipment based on own original technology and backed up by the ISO 9000 quality guarantee. Presently, the Talgo Group companies are active in Spain, Germany, US and Finland. Talgo is present in other countries of the world via a wide network of representatives and agents. (Excerpted from
Challenge: Talgo is interested in investigating the dynamic behavior of their products, namely high-speed trains with passive tilting device. Those trains are characterized by a quite complex design of the bogies (independent wheels, airspring suspensions on top of the bogies, etc.)
Solution: MSC.ADAMS/Rail is used as VPD tool throughout the design phases of all products at Talgo. In this case, Talgo has been performing simulations on the complete train (composed of 4 wagons) with regards to vehicle eigenmodes, stability, comfort, derailment safety. The wheel-rail contact forces have been carefully determined.
Value: The value of VPD at Talgo is described in the customer quote: “Simulation reduces cost of design. It is a fundamental tool to present technical information to our customers and ensure the viability of our products. It facilitates the investigation of design issues like comfort and derailment safety“. Additionally, simulation enables the engineers to perform tests which cannot be performed physically, or in any case are cheaper than the equivalent physical test (which i.e. Would require the installation of too many measurement channels).
Reference: “SIMULACIONES PARA EL ESTUDIO DEL COMPORTAMIENTO DINÁMICO DEL TREN TALGO DE ALTA VELOCIDAD”, Talgo internal presentation
Picture: Talgo bogie. Animation of Talgo train simulated in ADAMS/Rail, negotiating a curve. The animation shows the complex kinematics of the Talgo bogie design.
“Simulation reduces the cost of design. It is a fundamental tool to present technical information to our customers and ensure the viability of our products. It facilitates the investigation of design issues like comfort and derailment safety.”
--Emilio Garcia
Manager, Rolling Stock