Frictional vibration analysis of train braking system considering wheel-rail attachment and multi-body friction

Train vibration and noise have always been problems that affect the service life of relevant components and passenger comfort. This paper focuses on the vibration of the train braking system and establishes a torsional vibration model of the train braking system considering wheel-rail attachment and multi-body friction, which includes three rotational degrees of freedom of the brake disc, brake block, and wheelset. The periodic vibration and chaotic bifurcation of the braking system under low-speed working conditions are studied by numerical calculation. An optimization strategy is proposed for the chaotic bifurcation behavior, which eliminates the chaotic interval at low speeds through the reasonable matching of particle parameters, so as to ameliorate the brake groan problem of the train. •Considering the rotational degrees of freedom of the brake disc, brake pad, and wheelset, a three-degree-of-freedom dynamic model considering wheelset coupling was established.•The vibration law of the train brake system under multi-body friction is obtained, which is more consistent with the open and harsh working environment of the train brake.•An optimization strategy is proposed to improve the final flutter of train braking, which can reasonably match the values of particle parameters and system parameters, and eliminate the chaotic bifurcation phenomenon of the system.