Influence of quick release valve on braking performance and coupler force of heavy haul train

We establish a simulation model based on the theory of air flow to analyze the accelerated release effect of the quick release valve inside the air brake control valve.In addition, the combined simulation system of train air brake system and longitudinal train dynamics is used to analyze how the parameters of the quick release valve in the 120/120–1 brake control valve affect the propagation characteristics of the train brake pipe pressure wave, the release action range of the accelerated brake, and the longitudinal coupler force for a 20,000-ton heavy haul train on the section of the Datong–Qinhuangdao Railway. The results show that the quick release valve can effectively accelerate the rising speed of the train brake pipe pressure during the initial release, as the accelerated release effect is evident before the train brake pipe pressure reaches582 k Pa. The quick release valve can effectively accelerate the release of the rear cars, reducing the longitudinal coupler force impact due to time delay of the release process. The quick release valve can effectively reduce the tensile coupler force in the train by as much as 20% in certain cases.

The effect of controllable train-tail devices on the longitudinal impulse of the combined trains under initial braking

The 20,000-ton combined train running has greatly promoted China’s heavy-haul railway transportation capability. The application of controllable train-tail devices could improve the braking wave of the train and braking synchronism, and alleviate longitudinal impulse.However, the characteristics of the controllable train-tail device such as exhaust area, exhaust duration and exhaust action time are not uniform in practice, and their effects on the longitudinal impulse of the train are not apparent,which is worth studying. In this work, according to the formation of the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway, the train air brake and longitudinal dynamics simulation system(TABLDSS) is applied to establish a 20,000-ton combined train model with the controllable train-tail device, and the braking characteristics and the longitudinal impulse of the train are calculated synchronously with changing the air exhaust time, exhaust area, and action lag time under initial braking. The results show that the maximum coupler force of the combined train will decrease with the extension of the continuous exhaust time, while the total exhaust time of the controllable train-tail device remains unchanged;the maximum coupler force of the combined train reduces by32.5% with the exhaust area increasing from 70% to 140%;when the lag time between the controllable train-tail device and the master locomotive is more than 1.5 s, the maximum coupler force of the train increases along with the time difference enlargement.

Study on a segmented electro-pneumatic braking system for heavy-haul trains

The large longitudinal impact of heavy-haul trains is the main factor limiting their development,and the asynchronous nature of train-braking systems is the main cause of this longitudinal impact.In this paper,a segmented electro-pneumatic braking solution fully compatible with the existing freight-train braking system in China is proposed to improve the synchrony of train-braking systems.A simulation model for this braking system is developed based on air-flow theory,the 120 distribution valve and electronic control devices.The braking characteristics obtained from simulations are compared to those from the train-brake testing platform,and show high fidelity.On this basis,the effects of the new braking system on the braking capacity and longitudinal impact of a 20000 t heavy-haul train are analysed by further simulation.The results show that during service brakes,the segmented electro-pneumatic braking system can increase the braking capacity by 4.2–24.7%and reduce the coupler force by 21.6–68.0%.Therefore,it can be seen that the segmented electro-pneumatic braking system is a new type of electro-pneumatic brake that meets the needs of the Chinese railway network.It solves the problem of the longitudinal impact of heavy-haul trains satisfactorily,and its compatibility with the existing braking system(resulting in a reduced modification workload)makes it possible to maintain normal operations on heavy-haul lines while trains undergo modification.