Lateral and Roll Vibration Reduction by using a Semi-active Magnetorheological Damper in a High Speed Capsule Train

The capsule train is a new concept of ground transportation that the magnetically levitated vehicle runs inside a low pressure tube. The proposed capsule train in this study is characterized by the superconducting electrodynamic suspension (SC-EDS) levitation for large levitation gap, and small size and lightweight for high speed and agile mobility. Because of these unique features, the large vibration caused from external disturbance can be easily transferred to the vehicle, resulting in the poor ride comfort. To investigate the vibration characteristics and improve the ride comfort of the proposed capsule train, we developed an analytical model for the lateral and roll motion calculation. Through simulations based on the developed model, we founded that there is distinct vibration that influences on the ride comfort. To reduce this vibration and improve the ride comfort, the magnetorheological (MR) damper as a semi-active suspension in the secondary suspension was applied, and effect was confirmed in simulations. For experimental validation of simulation results, the hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) testbed including the real-size MR damper prototype was manufactured. And through HILS experiments, the effect of the MR damper on the vibration reduction and ride comfort improvement was proven.