Dynamic-Locomotive-Crank-Simulation

Simulates and analyzes locomotive crank dynamics with MATLAB.

Overview

This repository contains a MATLAB implementation for modeling, simulating, and analyzing a locomotive crank mechanism. Using experimental data and derived dynamic equations, it compares predicted collar motion with real sensor data across multiple input voltages.

Contents

• LCSDATA.m — Loads and calibrates experimental crank data.
• LCSMODEL.m — Computes model-predicted collar velocity using dynamic equations.
• LCSMAIN.m / LCSMAIN.asv — Main script to run plots and compare results.
• residuals.m — Calculates and visualizes residuals between experimental and model data.
• Data/ — Raw and processed sensor data.

What it Does

• Models the wheel-collar motion using relative velocity equations.
• Aligns and calibrates raw encoder and potentiometer data.
• Plots experimental vs. theoretical collar velocity for voltages from 5.5V to 10.5V.
• Computes signed and absolute residuals to analyze model accuracy.

How to Run

• Clone this repo.
• Make sure your data files are in the Data/ folder.
• Run LCSMAIN.m to generate all plots and comparison figures.
• Run residuals.m for detailed residual analysis.