In-vechicle control method based on null-space for wheel load imbalance of railway vehicle by using pneumatically controllable leveling valve rod

Abstract

The control of the imbalance of wheel load in a railway vehicle is important in maintaining running safety against a flange climb derailment. This paper discusses a control method for quasi-static wheel load variation in transition curves by utilizing the leveling devices that are widely installed on recent railway vehicles with air suspentions. We propose a hardware construction to control wheel load variation by using pneumatically controllable leveling valve rod, of which the length is adjustable by using pneumatic cylinders. We also propose an in-vehicle control method, which means that the control method does not depend on the relative position between the vehicle and the earth (e.g. GPS) explicitly. We confirmed that 30% of wheel load inbalance is reduced at its maximum by appling the proposed control method in a transition curve through a running test by the use of a real railway vehicle.

Keywords

• railway vehicle
• wheel load variation
• transition curve
• air spring
• leveling valve
• control method
• null-space regulator