On the Question of Braking Articulated Buses

Abstract

The safe movement of a car and a road train is largely determined by its braking properties. The nature of the movement of the road train is fundamentally different from the movement of a single car. The difference can be explained by the presence of additional forces arising in the articulation of the links of the vehicle, as well as forces and moments acting on its individual links and the movement of the vehicle as a whole. Their effect is especially noticeable when braking a road train, which may be accompanied by folding links and loss of stability of the vehicle. As a result of the study, the optimal values of the brake force distribution coefficients for a fully loaded articulated bus are obtained, which provide both high braking efficiency and the stability of the articulated bus (AВ) during braking. The coefficients are determined taking into account the design features of the brake mechanisms and their geometric dimensions, providing the required braking performance. For the selected values of the braking force distribution coefficients along the axes of the AВ and the coefficients that take into account the design features of the braking mechanisms and their geometric dimensions, the braking distance during braking by the main or working braking system and the spare one satisfy the requirements of regulatory documents. With the selected asynchronous response of the brake drives of the bus and trailer, the steady deceleration of the АВ is slightly less than the standard.