An adjustment arrangement for an empty/load valve includes a body defining a channel, an adjustment beam slidably retained within the channel, and an adjustment handle connected to the adjustment beam. The adjustment handle may be configured to move between at least two positions. The adjustment handle may be configured to move the adjustment beam to at least two positions. The adjustment handle may be connected to the adjustment beam via a pin that extends through the adjustment handle and into the adjustment beam. The adjustment beam may include a protrusion that extends from the adjustment beam to act as a contact point.

An adjustment arrangement for an empty/load valve includes a body defining a channel, an adjustment beam slidably retained within the channel, and an adjustment handle connected to the adjustment beam. The adjustment handle may be configured to move between at least two positions. The adjustment handle may be configured to move the adjustment beam to at least two positions. The adjustment handle may be connected to the adjustment beam via a pin that extends through the adjustment handle and into the adjustment beam. The adjustment beam may include a protrusion that extends from the adjustment beam to act as a contact point.

An electro-pneumatic braking system including a pneumatic pressure supply pipe, a generator for generating a vehicle load signal, a weighting system designed to supply a weighted pressure which defines a maximum braking pressure, limited as a function of the load signal, and braking control units connected to the weighting system and having a relay valve connected between the pipe and at least one brake cylinder, to cause the application to this cylinder of a controllable braking pressure, equal to or less than the weighted pressure. The weighting system includes an electro-pneumatic drive assembly, interposed between the pipe and the drive inlet of the relay valve and is connected to the pipe through a pressure limiter, and an electronic weighting control unit which controls this drive assembly as a function of the load signal, so as to modulate in predetermined ways the pressure at the drive inlet of the relay valve.

A required brake force calculator calculates a required brake force for each vehicle based on a load on the vehicle or carriage detected by a variable load detector and a brake command acquired by a command acquirer. A target brake force calculator, based on the required brake force, calculates a common target brake force for a vehicle driven by a main electric motor and calculates a common target brake force for a vehicle not driven by a main electric motor. A control pattern generator, based on the target brake force and a vehicle speed detected by a speed detector, generates a common control pattern for electric power converters. An electric brake force calculator calculates an electric brake force generated by operation of main electric motors. A supplementer sends a brake force command value based on the electric brake force and the target brake force to mechanical brakes.

In a method for operating a vehicle, a current total mass of the vehicle is determined depending on a tractive force applied to accelerate the vehicle and, depending on the determined current total mass of the vehicle, the vehicle is decelerated. The build-up and/or reduction of a brake force for decelerating the vehicle depends on its total weight.

A rail vehicle (100) has a number of wheel axles (131, 132, 133, 134) and a set of brake units (101, 102, 103, 104) applying respective brake forces to the wheel axles. A power signal (P.sub.m) indicates the power needed to accelerate the rail vehicle (100) between first and second speeds (v.sub.1; v.sub.2) indicated by a speed signal. Based thereon an overall weight (m.sub.tot) of the rail vehicle (100) is estimated. Wheel speed signals indicate respective speeds (.sub.1, .sub.2, .sub.3, .sub.4) of the wheel axles (131, 132, 133, 134). A brake unit (101) gradually applies an increasing brake force to a specific wheel axle (131). During braking, an absolute difference (|.sub.1.sub.a|) is determined between the rotational speed of the specific wheel axle (131) and an average rotational speed (.sub.a) of the other wheel axles and in response to the absolute difference exceeding a threshold value, a friction parameter (.sub.m) is determined reflecting a friction coefficient (.sub.e) between the wheels (121a, 121b) on the specific wheel axle (131) and the rails (181, 182) upon which the rail vehicle (100) travels. The braking procedure is repeated for each of the wheel axles to estimate a respective fraction (m.sub.1, m.sub.2, m.sub.n) of the overall weight (m.sub.tot) carried by each of said wheel axles.

In a railway vehicle, a brake control device controlling a first brake device that presses a friction material against a wheel and a second brake device not using the friction material includes: a wheel load estimation unit estimating a wheel load-based on a wheel speed and a brake force applied to the wheel by the friction material; a friction surface state quantity estimation unit estimating a current friction coefficient of the friction material from a state of a friction surface thereof based on the wheel load, the wheel speed, and a brake force command, and outputting a mirror-surfacing signal indicating the friction surface is in a mirror-surfaced state when the friction coefficient is less than a first threshold value; and a brake control unit controlling operations of the first and second brake devices based on the brake force command and presence or absence of the mirror-surfacing signal.

Described is a system for determining the forward speed of at least one vehicle, comprising control means, each associated with at least one axle, and a communication means for transmitting signals or values between the control means. At measurement instants successive in time, each control means generates a corresponding sliding signal of the respective at least one axle. At a sharing instant, each control means transmits the respective sliding signal, and in the no-sliding condition, the value of a quantity related to the rotation of the respective axle or its own estimated forward speed of the vehicle to the other control means. When all the sliding signals indicate a sliding condition, one of said control means controls first braking means associated with one of the axles, so as to reduce a braking force applied to said axle.

An overall weight (m.sub.tot) of a rail vehicle (100) is estimated by obtaining a power signal (P.sub.m) indicating an amount of power produced by a set of drive units (101, 102, 103) to accelerate the rail vehicle (100) between first and second speeds (v.sub.1; v.sub.2). Then, the following steps are executed: (a) obtaining wheel speed signals indicating respective rotational speeds (.sub.1, .sub.2, .sub.3) of the wheel axles in the driving subset of the wheel axles (131, 132, 133); (b) producing an acceleration control signal (A1) to a specific drive unit (101) in the set of drive units such that this drive unit applies a gradually increasing traction force to a specific wheel axle (131) of the wheel axles in the driving subset of the wheel axles (131, 132, 133); (c) repeatedly determining, during production of the acceleration control signal (A1), an absolute difference (|.sub.1.sub.a|) between the rotational speed of the specific wheel axle (131) and an average rotational speed (.sub.a) of the wheel axles (132, 133) in the driving subset of the wheel axles except the specific wheel axle; and in response to the absolute difference (|.sub.1.sub.a|) exceeding a threshold value; (d) determining a parameter (.sub.m) reflecting a friction coefficient (.sub.e) between a pair of wheels (121a, 121b) on the specific wheel axle (131) and a pair of rails (191, 192) upon which the rail vehicle (100) travels. Steps (a) to (c) are repeated for each of the wheel axles in the driving subset of the wheel axles, and based thereon, a respective fraction (m.sub.1, m.sub.2, m.sub.3) of the overall weight (m.sub.tot) carried by each of wheel axles in the driving subset of the wheel axles (131, 132, 133) is estimated.

A method for determining an optimum or maximum-permissible speed of a rail vehicle, dependent on a thermal state of at least one friction element of at least one friction brake of includes detecting at least one parameter which characterizes a current operating situation of the rail vehicle, determining or estimating a first influence on the thermal state of the at least one friction element based on the current operating situation of the rail vehicle, determining or estimating a second influence on the thermal state of the at least one friction element, determining the optimum or maximum-permissible speed of the rail vehicle in such a way that an allowed friction-element maximum temperature of the at least one friction element is not exceeded, or the allowed friction-element maximum temperature of the at least one friction element is substantially obtained, at the at least one friction element under the first or second influence.