Development of a wheel mounted disc brake for a high-speed train

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a wheel mounted disc brake for the power car of a high-speed train. The disc design consists of two rings bolted on to the wheel hub, one either side of the wheel. The finite element method was used extensively from the very beginning of the design process. This considerably reduced development time and enabled the successful design of a disc for an extremely severe duty. Modelling of bulk thermal effects was found to be most effective for shape optimization and prediction of global disc behaviour, with more sophisticated analyses required to determine more detailed design limits. Results from dynamometer tests and vehicle trials gave good correlation with theoretical results and proved the design suitability for the required duty.