Optimizing Rail Crane Mobility Through the Application of Non-Circular Bezier Cur

Abstract

To address the issues of rail gnawing and rail jamming during the turning of a rail crane, a novel non-circular curve scheme based on Bezier curves is proposed. Specifically, a quasi-quartic Bezier curve characterized by three shape parameters is selected for the inner rail's turning path. The paths of the front and rear points on the crane's outer side are derived using the geometric relationships within the crane's traveling mechanism. An optimization objective is established, targeting the minimization of the deviation between these front and rear points. To achieve this, the optimal Bezier curve parameters are identified using a multi-start point heuristic global optimization algorithm. Subsequently, Hermite interpolation is employed to fit the outer rail trajectory. Computational results indicate a substantial reduction in the maximum deviation of the outer side points during the crane's turning when employing the quartic Bezier curve compared to traditional circular tracks. Furthermore, the deviation is further minimized by adjusting the three parameters of the quasi-quartic Bezier curve used for the inner rail.