Development and testing of a tuned mass damper for overhead contact rail systems

Abstract

This paper presents the design, development and validation of a

tuned mass damer prototype for the railways field, particularly

for overhead contact rail systems.

The goal of this research is to prove the efficiency of this kind

of absorbers in reducing the vibrations in rigid catenary systems

with railway traffic.

For this reason, a prototype of Tuned mass damper has been

developed from the results obtained from analytical calculation

and dynamic symulations performed by means of a Finite

Element Method (FEM) software called SolidWorks.

In order to validate the prototype, a test area of rigid catenary

has been installed in the Technology Centre of Málaga, where

dynamic system response tests were performed.

The results obtained in tests have proved the effectiveness of this

kind of dampers in railway electrification field.