Discomfort caused by low-frequency motions: a new procedure to evaluate motion sickness in tilting trains

Although affecting a small percentage of passengers, motion sickness can not be neglected when tilting train comfort is analysed. Motion sickness is a complex physiological and psychological phenomenon linked to the perception of motion, however, there is no obvious relation between motion and sickness. In this paper, different models have been examined which are able to assess motion sickness starting with easily measurable quantities. Models examination is performed using dynamic simulations, realised using a simple multibody model of a tilting train. Moreover, a new motion sickness theoretical model has been developed; it seems to yield the expected results and it is surely a step ahead compared to what the existing norm has proposed. This theoretical model can be easily implemented in dynamic simulation environment, that is in prototipation one, and easily usable in tilting control system allowing modification of vehicle ride parameters in time domain.