Chapter 12.1, Problem 12.53P

Tilting trains, such as the Acela Express that serves the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States, are designed to travel safely at high speeds on curved sections of track which were built for slower, conventional trains. As it enters a curve, each car is tilted by hydraulic actuators mounted on its trucks. The tilting feature of the cars also increases passenger comfort by eliminating or greatly reducing the side force F_s (parallel to the floor of the car) to which passengers feel subjected. For a train traveling at 100 mi/h on a curved section of track banked through an angle θ = 6° and with a rated speed of 60 mi/h, determine (a) the magnitude of the side force felt by a passenger of weight W in a standard car with no tilt (ϕ = 0), (b) the required angle of tilt ϕ if the passenger is to feel no side force. (See Sample Prob. 12.7 for the definition of rated speed.)

Fig. P12.53 and P12.54