Influence of Fail-safe Behaviour of Active Steering Control on the Running Safety of Rail Vehicle

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.12.182

Abstract

Abstract: The curving performance of rail vehicle can be significantly improved by active steering technology. However, the possibility of failure exists in any active control system. To prevent the running safety of the vehicle from being affected by system failure, a fail-safe method for active steering bogie is proposed in this paper, which is based on the classical structure of an active steering bogie, combined with the fail-safe principle of active steering systems. Nevertheless, additional deflection of the wheelset with respect to the track may be caused by the unsynchronised response of the coaxial actuators during the fail-safe mode transition. Moreover, due to the physical characteristics of the actuators, the bogie may not be able to remain in this fail-safe mode for an extended period. To analyse the effect of active steering fail-safe behaviour on the running safety of the rail vehicle, a dynamic model is developed in this paper. The results shows that the safety of the rail vehicle can be ensured by fail-safe behaviour when the displacement deviation of the coaxial actuator during failure mode is below 2 mm, and the internal cavity of the hydraulic cylinder due to internal leakage is less than 0.8 mm. These two criteria can be used as critical performance indicators for the actuators of active steering systems. Finally, tests are carried out using physical prototype to verify that these performances are achievable under current technical condition. A reference for the engineering application of active steering technology can be provided by the results of this research.

Key words: active steering control, fail-safe, dynamics, actuator, running safety, stability

CLC Number:

U260
TH165

TIAN Shiqiao, LUO Xiangping, XIAO Chunyu, ZHOU Jinsong, GONG Dao. Influence of Fail-safe Behaviour of Active Steering Control on the Running Safety of Rail Vehicle[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(12): 182-190.

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