Abstract
Utilization of optimization methods is presented for Passenger Rail Vehicles with the focus centered around maintaining center of gravity in an optimal position throughout multiple load conditions, while maintaining weight to a minimum in order to provide the foremost stability to vehicles. A non-linear optimization approach known as the Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) method is used to fulfill all constraints placed on the rail vehicle. A case study is presented in which constraints within the vehicle have been predefined to mimic real world scenarios seen in the industry. The components have been identified, each of which have a defined center of gravity with no constraint in their respective weight, GRG is implemented to optimize weight distribution in an extreme case while keeping the overall weight to a minimum, at 1931.9 kg to fulfill equality constraints and inequality constraints.