Integrated simulation platform for a locomotive braking system

Abstract

We used a locomotive and a rail car to examine the working principle of a locomotive braking system. We established models of the locomotive braking system, the locomotive dynamics, and the brake disc thermodynamics and, based on the correlation parameters for each subsystem, built an integrated simulation platform for the locomotive braking system based on Simulink and AMESim. Using this platform, we simulated the characteristics of the pneumatic braking unit, the locomotive braking, and temperature increase in the brake disc under emergency braking conditions. We compared our simulation results with experimental data and the results showed that the integrated simulation platform for the locomotive braking system could successfully be used to study locomotive braking control on the vehicle level. We provide a design optimization method for the development of a braking system, the setting of the anti-skid criterion, and early warning of an increase in the brake disc temperature.