During the MBS Tech Days 2021, Steffen Brück from DB Systemtechnik held a presentation called "Simulation and Validation of the ICE 4 MBS Model during Switch Passage".

In tests for approvals of railroad vehicles, the most significant forces usually are expected to show in the narrow deflection radii of switches. Measurements show a dynamic behavior of the forces, especially in the area of the movable switch tongue. Conventional simulation methods with rigid switch profiles cannot reproduce these dynamic effects.

As part of my master thesis, procedures needed to be developed to integrate the elastic behavior of the area of the switch tongue into an MBS model. Next, the dynamic effects of a moving switch tongue were observed in measurements and reproduced in simulation processes. To present the measured dynamic impact in simulation models, it was necessary to consider the elasticity of the switch-blade. Considering the elasticity, the switch-blade had to be created as a CAD model so that the elastic properties could be calculated in an FE model. Then component properties of the FE model were then transferred to the multibody simulation model via a reduced substructure.

In this presentation of my master thesis, I will show that the dynamic effects from measurements during a switch passage can be represented in an MBS model by considering the elastic properties of the switch tongue.

Due to his high interest in scientific subjects, Steffen Brück decided to study mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld. After completing his bachelor's degree, Steffen chose to continue with a master's degree program in mechanical engineering to deepen further his knowledge in the field of computer-aided design and simulation.

During his master's studies, Steffen followed modules like FEM and MBS with particular interest. Because the practical work with Simpack and Ansys was of specific interest to him, Steffen decided to focus on this topic in his final thesis. Steffen wrote the thesis of his master studies at DB Fernverkehr AG in cooperation with SBB and DB Systemtechnik.

After completing his master's degree, Steffen took up a position in the calculation department of DB Systemtechnik, where his tasks include strength calculation using FEM and the calculation of vehicle dynamic processes using MBS.

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