Yaw compensation and yaw relaxation controls for active steering of railway wheelsets via electromechanical actuators

Abstract

It is known that good curving performance and stability often have conflicting requirements given a passive yaw stiffness of the wheelset. Using an active steering system, however, has the potential to realize improved curving performance with a satisfactory running stability. Relatively simple active control solutions of yaw relaxation and yaw compensation are illustrated and compared in this paper. In both control solutions, only low-cost electromechanical actuators and load cells are adopted for low-frequency actuations. Associated with a prototype of the two-axle vehicle, the dynamic performances of yaw relaxation and yaw compensation controls for different yaw stiffness configurations are simulated. The homogenous simulation results demonstrate excellent dynamic performance in curve negotiation and stability with the active steering strategies adopted.