Validation of a numerical model for the simulation of tramcar vehicle dynamics by means of comparison with experimental data

Tramcar vehicles significantly differ from traditional railway vehicles for both the adopted structural configuration and design solutions and the operating conditions. For this reason, a new numerical model specific for the analysis of tramcar dynamics has been developed at Politecnico di Milano. Before the numerical model can be adopted as a means to analyze tramcar dynamics in typical operating conditions, the capability of the model to reproduce the actual tramcar behavior has to be verified. This paper deals with the validation of the proposed numerical model by means of a comparison with experimental data.