Characteristics of Self‐Excited Rail Brake Using Capacitors

Abstract

Rail brakes are a type of brakes for railway vehicles that can generate braking force by electromagnetic force. The authors of this article proposed a rail brake that applies the capacitor self-excitation technique of induction machines to an excitation method. It does not require supplying power from the vehicle and can suppress heating rails during braking operation. This article proposes a practical excitation circuit that solves the problem of self-excitation of rail brakes where residual magnetic flux cannot be used for the initial excitation. The results of bench tests using a full-scale armature indicated that the rail brake can be driven by the proposed method. In addition, the results show the characteristics of rail brakes with capacitor self-excitation.