Abstract
We have applied the transfer matrix method (TMM) to the analysis of three-dimensional elastic vibration problems on a railway carbody. The carbody is modeled as a simply-supported non-circular cylindrical shell without end plates. The shell model is comprises the three main parts; the floor, sides and roof. The effect of rigidity of each part on natural frequencies was examined by the numerical analysis. It was shown that the natural frequencies changed greatly by improving the rigidity of each part. The most effective part was not only the floor part but also the side parts depending on the targeted mode of vibration. Furthermore, we investigated effects of curved surface. The roof part already has high rigidity due to the curvature, and then the improvement of the rigidity of the roof part does not have so much influence on natural frequencies.
