Research on Minimum Non-Collision Distance and Protection Strategy for Normal Train to Avoid Rear-End Accidents With Braking-Fault Train

Generally, a train adopts the method of emergency stop to avoid risks if there is any fault in the railway system. However, for braking system faults in a train, the relevant documents and specifications don’t provide a theoretical basis or solutions to ensure the parking safety of the breaking-fault train. For the tracking scenario, when a braking-fault train tracks the normal train running ahead, a calculation model of the tracking operation between trains with a failure coefficient is proposed. By detecting the braking-fault train information and the operation parameters of the train ahead, the model can calculate the minimum non-collision distance or predict the collision speed and position of these two trains. Considering the Yumen station of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway as an example, a series of experimental analyses are conducted under multiple fault scenarios, and the operation schemes that can avoid collision accidents are investigated. The experimental results show that the actual distance between the faulty and the front trains and the maximum acceleration that the front train could achieve are the two most critical factors. Finally, based on the information obtained from the above model results, the process of calculating the anti-collision scheme of the front train is summarized, and a protection strategy is designed, which provides the calculation basis and overall execution framework for the dispatching system to ensure the safety of these two trains.