Abstract—This research introduces a novel lightweight steel frame and rubber-wheeled system for a small, fourwheeled vehicle without suspension or differential, designed to replace traditional railway inspection cars that use heavy steel wheels. The study aimed to model and perform a static analysis of a chassis constructed with circular beams. Modeling and analysis were conducted using the finite element analysis capabilities of ANSYS. In this research, we analyzed the materials AISI 1020 and structural steel to determine the strength, von-Mises stress, and total deformation of the body frame. The focus was on evaluating the frame's response to force loads and deflection under varying load conditions. The analysis results were validated through a comparative assessment with numerical results and confirmed to be safe for impact loading. Following this, all components and equipment for the rail track inspection car were meticulously constructed and assembled. The strength analysis of the body frame met the initial design objectives, demonstrating its effectiveness for use as a rail track inspection car. The successful completion of this analysis validates its suitability for practical deployment in railway inspection tasks, contributing to operational efficiency and maintenance effectiveness in rail infrastructure management.

Keywords—rail track inspection car, finite element analysis, rubber-wheeled, steel frame, ANSYS software, factor of safety

Cite: Paramust Juntarakod, Viroch Sukontanakarn, Paanthong Sroymuk, and Tanawat Chalardsakul, "Numerical Investigation of Lightweight Design and Performance Analysis of Rubber-Wheeled Rail Track Inspection Car," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp. 566-572, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.