T he EU-funded ECUC project was launched on 11th September 2011 in San Sebastian, at CEIT facilities in
Miramon Technological Park, and currently is heading successfully to its final stages.
The project – Eddy Current Brake Compatibility – aims to prove that Eddy Current Brake (ECB) is a highly effective and applicable solution for increasing the braking capacity of new high-speed trains. Moreover it aims to solve the concerns raised by infrastructure managers by proposing concrete and realistic solutions to overcome any possible drawbacks that ECB have experienced on some lines.
ECUC consortium is composed of 8 partners: CEIT, Knorr-Bremse, Alstom, SNCF, Deutsche Bahn, Network Rail, UNIFE and Frauscher. The research team includes all the key players needed to accomplish the challenge proposed: Large and small-medium enterprises, one European association, a research centre, railway operators and infrastructure managers. These partners have gained extensive knowledge whilst working in key positions
Eddy-Current Brakes Compatibility in High Speed Trains
in the development of ECB during the last year. This positive starting point means that progress beyond the state of the art has been facilitated through an improved understanding of the interaction between eddy-current brake, track and trackside signalling equipment.
The study will be performed in two domains: electromagnetic and thermo-mechanical. Additionally, ECUC proposes also new designs and engineering and operational guidelines for eddy-current brakes and signalling equipment, and in its last stages it will define Technical Recommendations for the correct interoperable functioning of the ECB in a complex railway system and input for revisions to Technical Specifications for Interoperability.
With the aim of analysing the interaction between ECB and the rolling stock, trackside equipment and the track, the following second level objectives have been defined in ECUC project:
• Improvement of the understanding of the interaction between the eddy-current brake and the track and trackside signalling equipment.
• Identification of critical thermo-mechanical and electromagnetic parameters and the related vehicle and trackside compatibility limits.
• Design of a test setup and test site that enables the approval tests for linear eddy-current brake systems focusing not only on the functionality but also on thermal, mechanical and electromagnetic requirements.
• Design of a test procedure that recreates representative worst-case conditions to prove the compatibility between eddy-current brake, rolling stock, track and the signalling systems.
• Development of engineering and operational guidelines for eddy-current brakes and trackside signalling equipment.
• Improvement of the standardisation process of ECB.
The outcome of the project is expected to have a decisive impact on many aspects of railway operation. Conventional brake systems suffer from limitations in brake force at high speeds, high brake performance and low wear, all of which are critical targets for new high-speed trains. ECUC aims to solve these problems, providing technological solutions that will improve the efficiency and sustainability of railway communications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThis work is funded by FP7-TRANSPORT under the project ECUC with contract number 314244.
Consortium:Ceit, KB,Alstom, SNCF, DB, NRIL, Frauscher, Unife
Daniel Valderas (CEIT-coordinator, [email protected]), Gavin Lancaster (Frauscher, [email protected]), Henry Lehmann (Knorr-Bremse, [email protected]), Oliver Stark (Deutschebahn, [email protected]), Maya Petkova (NRIL, [email protected]), Andrea Demadonna (Unife, [email protected]), Pierre Meyer (SNCF, [email protected]), FranÇois Cabillon, (Alstom, [email protected]).
