DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF TILTING TRAIN CONTROLLED BY AIR SPRINGS

In order to study the control strategy and dynamic behaviour of tilting trains by using the car body tilting method of controlling the vertical displacement of air springs, the dynamic model of the tilting train with consideration of the air spring suspension system is set up. The leveling valves, pressure differential valve, tilting control strategy and the nonlinearities in the vehicle systems are included in the model. The vertical mechanical model coupled with left and right air spring systems are established by considering the ideal gas state equations. The tilting control strategy and dynamic behaviour of the tilting train running on curved track are investigated by numerical simulation method. The simulation results indicate that the car body can tilt to a required angle by controlling the left and right air spring vertical displacements. Then the unbalanced lateral acceleration acted on the passengers can be reduced to improve the ride comfort, and the train speed can raise about 10% compared with the non-tilting train. The car body can restore to its equilibrium position by adjusting the leveling valve after curve exit. The titling performance can be improved by increasing the height of air spring to rail top.