Control of an integrated lateral and roll suspension for a high-speed railway vehicle

This paper proposes the combined control of lateral and roll carbody motion to improve the ride quality in a high-speed train during curve negotiation. The active suspension consists of an active anti-roll device based on hydraulic interconnected actuators and on a hydraulic active lateral suspension. Three control strategies are proposed, and the parameters defining the control laws are defined using Genetic Algorithm optimisation, with ride quality estimation performed based on numerical simulation of the curving behaviour of the active vehicle. The performance of the vehicle in passive configuration and with the active suspension is also assessed using numerical simulation, showing that the use of combined lateral and roll control enables the vehicle to run at 340 km/h providing the same or even higher level of ride quality as the passive vehicle running at 300 km/h. Simulation results also provide an estimate of the mechanical power required to operate the active suspension and prove that the use of active control is neutral towards running safety.