Influence and optimization of the pad connection structure on the braking wear and vibration behaviour of high-speed trains

Abstract

The braking performance of high-speed trains directly affects their operational safety. To thoroughly investigate and optimize the wear and vibration characteristics of the disc brake device, this study established a transient dynamic model of the braking device that considers the connection structures of floating brake pads, such as gaskets, disc springs, and snap rings, as well as the complex frictional contact between the disc and the pad. The effectiveness of the model was validated using bench test data. Compared to traditional models, this model possesses the unique advantage of simultaneously analyzing the vibration, contact, and wear characteristics of different internal brake pad structures and the disc/pad interface. Based on this, the influence of a critical component in the connection structure—the gasket—on the vibration and wear characteristics of the floating brake pad was systematically investigated. It was found that the inclination angle of the gasket has a significant regulatory effect on the contact state of the braking interface, the vibration response, and the wear rate. The results indicate that through structural optimization, when the gasket inclination angle is 87.5°, the root-mean-square value of the braking friction–vibration acceleration is reduced by over 20% compared to the original design, and the uneven wear of the brake pad is also reduced by 32.4%. The optimized structure exhibits excellent vibration reduction and anti-wear performance, and was subsequently validated through bench tests. Furthermore, the transient dynamic analysis method proposed in this study can also be applied to investigate the influence of the friction block shape and size on the friction–vibration behaviour, providing methodological support for regulating the braking performance of high-speed trains.

Keywords

Connect structure / Transient dynamic model / Brake system / Friction-induced vibration / Wear / High-speed trains

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(52205217)

Independent Research Project of the State Key Laboratory of Rail Transit Vehicle System(2024RVL-T09)

Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST(2022QNRC001)

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