Comfort, safety and quality are essential conditions for high-speed transport and bogies meet these criteria providing stability to train operation. Special attention is given to the structural configurations of frameworks to send over traction forces and the loads exerted by the integrated traction equipment.
In order to adapt to the specific requirements of high-speed transport and increasing efficiency, the modular concept plays an important part in the development of the bogie and multiple applications. This helps to reduce wear by increasing performance at curves, to easily change bogies due to their simple connection to the train body and to optimally send over traction between the bogie and the body of the train.
To make transport efficient, the principle of wheel orientation consists in two fasteners pressed on the bogie and two orientation bushes in the axle box. It is worth mentioning that in this context, the orientation of wheels doesn’t need maintenance throughout the complete maintenance intervals. The form of the bogie frame has to have a design ensuring lightness and low resistance to torsion. Between the two longitudinal axes, there are two transversal axes with consoles for the brake disc. Also, depending on specifications, bogies can be equipped with three or four brake units and the additional suspension system should be designed so as to operate as an air-based suspension system, assembled in series.
Hydraulic buffers are installed for dumping lateral and vertical moves. The braking and accelerating forces between the bogie and the train body are conveyed through a central indicator, a draft and two guide bars.
New technologies provide advantages such as a high level of safety and reliability. Also, due to the demanding running performance of high speed rail vehicles, maintenance and energy have a great impact on the total life cost. For example, “compared with operation at 140 km/h, kinetic energy at 200 km/h is twice as high and at 300 km/h it can even be 4 times greater. This can be addressed by bogie design parameters such as minimal bogie weight and unsuspended mass as well as specific features”, points out Bombardier in its study “At the Forefront of High Speed Bogie Expertise”.
For trains to be able to run at 300 km/h, the technology provides characteristics that can be applied individually as well as combined: active radial direction, control stability, monitoring bogie condition and track quality. These specifications deliver advantages for reducing the track wear, the weight and noise and are used in high speed rail transport.
by Pamela Luică
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