A method for assessing contamination of a rail, in particular for a railway vehicle, comprises the steps of imposing a first sliding value lower than a first threshold between the wheels of a first controlled axle and the rail, the first controlled axle being the head axle of the railway vehicle, imposing a second sliding value greater than a second threshold between the wheels of a second controlled axle and the rail, the second axle following the first axle and the second threshold being greater than the first threshold, and determining the trend of an adhesion curve between the wheels belonging to a plurality of controlled axles and the rail, based on a first adhesion value between the wheels of the first axle and the rail, and a second adhesion value between the wheels of the second axle and the rail.

A control system can include a controller that may obtain a location of a phase break along a route. The controller can monitor locations of a vehicle and determine when the vehicle will reach the phase break location. The system also may include a switch proximate to a collector device of the vehicle and/or an actuator that moves the collector device relative to a conductive pathway. The conductive pathway may operate to supply electrical power to the vehicle. The controller can actuate a switch, an actuator, or both the switch and the actuator, and (upon activation) can change a source of power for one or more loads for propulsion of the vehicle through the location of the phase break along the route.

A brake control system includes an interface controller configured to communicate with different control paths of sources for control of a brake system of a vehicle system. Each of the control paths is configured to communicate a control signal from a different source of the sources to control operation of the brake system. The interface controller is configured to arbitrate between the control signals concurrently received from the different sources via the control paths to dictate which of the different sources controls operation of the brake system at different times and prevent control by other sources of the different sources from concurrently controlling the operation of the brake system.

Various embodiments provided a railroad car brake beam wear guide for mounting in a brake beam guide bracket of a railroad car truck side frame and including a spacer that partially defines a slide-way for a brake beam lug of a brake beam and that limits lateral movement of the brake beam. In various embodiments, the wear guide can be employed for other uses besides for railroad cars.

A system for controlling centralized brake of vehicles, comprising: a pressure collection device for collecting the pressure of a main blast pipe and a train pipe control device. The pressure signal output end of the pressure collection device is connected to the pressure signal input end of the train pipe control device; the brake signal input end of the train pipe control device is connected to the brake signal output end of a brake controller; the train pipe control device is pneumatically connected to the main blast pipe and a train pipe separately by means of an air channel. By means of the solution, the installation space of a trailer is reduced, and the costs are lowered. In addition, the change in the pressure of the train pipe is controlled by an automatic brake control system, the train can operate after being connected to an automatically air-braked coach, according to a brake request output by the brake controller and the detection of the real-time pressure of the train pipe, the change in the pressure of the train pipe is controlled, and a five-line control signal is used, so that flexible marshalling can be implemented.

A vehicle control system includes a first controller configured to communicate a first brake command to one or more brake devices of a vehicle system via a communication pathway. The system includes a second controller configured to monitor the communication pathway to determine whether the first brake command from the first controller is communicated via the communication pathway to the one or more brake devices. The second controller is configured to implement a backup brake command to the one or more brake devices based on a presence of the first brake command and a level of brake application dictated by the first brake command.

A brake system includes an electromechanical brake having a friction surface, a lining support, an electric motor for moving the lining support, a spring acting on the lining support, and a control and monitoring unit. A control and monitoring unit ascertains from at least one first value ascertained during a first movement of the lining support by the electric motor, an operating behavior value for a real operating behavior of an operating parameter of the relevant brake, and ascertains, by a comparison of the at least one real operating behavior value to at least one stored operating behavior expectation, a correction factor. The brake control system corrects by the one correction factor and activates a regulator of the electric motor using the corrected brake control signal. The control and monitoring unit is performs a calibration by a spring force of the at least one spring during the first movement.

A railway-vehicles scalable tractive power system, integrated into all-wheel steering and braking systems to leverage synergies between plurality of differently designed electric traction-motors, electric steering motors and electric brake calipers; configured with plurality of sensors to eliminate wheel-dragging at virtually 100% dynamic efficiency. A fully automated electronic clutch-system attached to selected electric traction motors configured to perform above 90% traction efficiency by coupling to wheels selected electric traction-motors in their high efficiency range of operation, or de-coupling and replacing electric traction-motors with another electric traction-motors while the vehicle is changing speed or when it requires higher or lower tractive-power, from forward-motion start to top-rated speed. A holistic controller is configured with multi-objective optimization design (MOOD) procedures; measures complex variable parameters and values, finds the required trade-off among design objectives, and improves pertinence of solutions. Plurality of electronic-couplers is monitoring changing distance between wagons, whereas the controller is maintaining optimal ‘free-slack’ between wagons to prevent ‘run-in’ and ‘run-out’ scenarios with precise maneuverability between electric traction-motors actuation and electric brake-calipers actuation.

A braking system and method control application of brakes disposed onboard vehicles using brake control devices. The vehicles are in a multi-vehicle system and are associated with different segments of the vehicle system. Brake commands are sent to the brake control devices. These commands direct the brake control devices of the vehicles to concurrently engage the brakes onboard the vehicles to different brake levels based on which of the segments that the vehicles are associated.

A magnetic levitation test system and an electromagnet test method. A vehicle-mounted controller (1024), an electromagnet controller, and an electromagnet are subjected to joint test by means of the magnetic levitation test system integrated with a vehicle-mounted controller test bed (102), an electromagnet controller test bed (104), and an electromagnet test bed (106). The running condition of a train can be simulated, and the vehicle-mounted controller (1024), the electromagnet controller, and the electromagnet are subjected to joint test under the simulated running condition of the train. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted controller (1024), the electromagnet controller, and the electromagnet are subjected to function verification, thereby reducing the fault rate when the vehicle-mounted controller (1024), the electromagnet controller, and the electromagnet are used at the same time.