NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A RAILROAD SWITCH MACHINE

This contribution deals with the numerical and experimental characterization of the structural behaviour of a railroad switch machine. Railroad switch machines must withstand a number of safety related conditions such as, for instance, the appropriate resistance against any undesired movements of the points, due to the extreme forces exerted by a passing train. This occurrence can produce a very high stress on the components that has to be predicted by designers. In order to assist them in the development of new machines and in defining what are the critical components, FEA models have been built and stresses have been calculated on the internal components of the switch machine. The results have been validated by means of an ad-hoc designed experimental apparatus, now installed at the facilities of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Bologna.