Analysis on a Novel Eddy current - magnet track composite brake for high-speed train

A novel eddy current-magnetic track composite brake (EC-MTB) for high-speed trains is first proposed in this paper. As a non-adhesive braking device, the brake can effectively make up for braking force shortage resulted by adhesion coefficient decrease of a high-speed train. The brake, consisting of alternating permanent magnet (PM) braking sections and electromagnetic braking sections, can work under eddy current braking and magnetic track braking modes. The function of excitation can be turned on and off by rotating the upper PM in the PM brake. Alternating or isotropic magnetic fields can be generated on the rail by changing the current direction in the electromagnetic brake. The paper firstly introduces the structure and working principle of the composite brake and then investigates characteristics of static and transient magnetic fields as well as braking performance through 3D finite element simulation (3D-FEM), which proves that the brake can lead to a deceleration of not less than 0.1m/s
²
for a 60T carriage in the magnetic track mode and generate around IOOON braking force under the eddy current mode.