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How to stop a bullet train
2024-12-31
Bullet trains are the fastest way of transportation without taking off from the ground. Originated in Japan, their real name is Shinkansen but, because of their streamlined form and their sheer speed, of sometimes over 400 km/h, they were dubbed bullet train.
Figure 1 A Taiwan High Speed Rail train
Nowadays, many types of these trains are used globally and have become an integral part of connecting cities and accelerating transportation. While speed and acceleration made these trains famous, an often-overlooked aspect of these engineering masterworks is their brakes.
Considering their size, their weight, and their speed, every turn, and every stop becomes a challenge that is crucial to the safety of passengers. For example, the N700 Series Shinkansen with 16 cars weighs over 700 tons and is over 400 meters long; this means an intricate braking system is needed to ensure safety.
Figure 2 Simplified Schematic of Pneumatic Brakes
High-speed trains achieve this by using pneumatic brakes. These brakes utilize compressed air pressing on a piston to apply pressure to the brake pads. The necessary flow of air is supplied by air tanks and adjusted by an electro-pneumatic valve (EPV). The output pressure is directly controlled by the brake control unit (BCU); antiskid valves adjust the brake pressure to prevent the wheels from locking.
The BCU utilizes many parameters to apply the right amount of pressure on the brakes during turns (when the train is leaning) or stops. These parameters include, for example, the weight of the passengers of each car.
Figure 3 Pneumatic Brake Control Unit (Front) & Air Tank (Back)
Because the air tanks need to continually supply air to the brakes, fresh air is taken from the outside to refill the tanks, if necessary. These tanks are, therefore, the base of these braking systems. A leak could lead to some severe impairment of the brakes or even lead to failure.
They, therefore, need to be regularly maintained (at least twice a year) and, if necessary, cleaned, repaired, or exchanged. Videoscopes help to carry out this very crucial inspection.
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