Analysis of the characteristics of the pneumatic active suspension system in shinkansen

A pneumatic system is used in a railway vehicle in a lot of elements such as the brake, suspension, and doors. However, the design of a pneumatic system for a railway vehicle was decided so far by experience and past results, and evaluation regarding the unsteady characteristic of a pneumatic system had not yet been done. In a Shinkansen railway vehicle, the active suspension is used to improve the riding comfort at high-speed operation. However, examination of the unsteady characteristic of an active suspension is insufficient. In this study, we measured pressure and flow rate of the active suspension pneumatic system of a Shinkansen railway vehicle in real time, and verified the validity of that system design. To obtain knowledge for promotion of efficiency and cost reduction, the pneumatic system was modeled and simulated. The pressure pulsation of the pipe was simulated by changing the pipe diameter and the tank capacity. Then, we suggested the effective pneumatic system for active suspension. We really put this system on a railway vehicle and made clear that we could achieve lightweight and efficiency from result of measurement.