DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A SEMIACTIVE DAMPING SYSTEM FOR RAIL VEHICLES

The paper describes the development of a semi-active damping system us ed on rail vehicles. Applying a skyhook control strategy, improvement of the ride comfort can be achieved for the passengers. The system des ign and the hydraulic damper are explained. Computer simulations of co mplex three-dimensional rail vehicles served for the design process an d the results are described. Measured force responses of a prototype s emi-active damper are shown and compared to simulation results, First measurements from field tests with the prototype semi-active damping s ystem show, that up to 15% improvement of the ride quality can be achi eved with the real vehicle.