Zhengyang WAN

The Virtual Track Train (VTT) represents a novel urban transportation solution that combines elements of both road and rail vehicles. Currently, VTT has gained significant adoption in several cities in China including Yibin, Zhuzhou, Harbin, and Yancheng. Despite its growing usage, the unique structure and complex tire-ground interaction of VTT pose significant challenges in terms of tire wear, which has become a pressing issue. This study develops and validates a multi-body dynamics model of VTT along with a finite element model of its tire. The tire-ground contact behavior and boundary conditions are studied from various perspectives to calculate tire wear. The simulation results demonstrate that the internal pressure of the tires, the load of VTT, the pavement conditions, the inclination angle, and slippage of tires all have critical effects on VTT’s tire wear. These findings suggest that the operating conditions of VTT must be carefully managed to reduce tire wear and ensure safe operation. Furthermore, the research results of tire wear mechanism of VTT offers valuable insights for the optimization and maintenance of VTT.

The Virtual track train (VTT) has been put into commercial operation as a new type of urban rail transport in China in recent years. To further understand VTT’s operation performance, it is essential to develop a specific driving simulation platform to simulate VTT’s unique hybrid driving mode. The main contribution of this paper are as follows: First, a dynamics model of VTT was established using SIMAPCK. Then, the control module for simulating the hybrid driving mode of VTT was developed based on the model predictive control and Logitech driving simulation hardware. Furthermore, a driving scene visualization interface was established using Unreal Engine and Blender to simulate the real driving environment. These contents constitute the driving simulation platform for VTT. The simulation results show that the developed platform can deliver accurate and comprehensive operation performance of VTT under different driving modes, which has strong engineering significance.