Air springs

By P.K.Bajpai
Sr. Prof.(UGT)
 Air suspension technology
• 1956: First German Rail Bus fitted with
Air Springs.
• Presently, most of the high speed trains
including French TGV running with max.
speed of 515 Kmph has air springs.
• With varying vehicle loading, there is a
need to maintain “Ride Height” to have
parity with the way side “Platforms” and
“Coupling Height” for train formation
Need for adoption of Air suspension

• Abnormal increase in pay load condition in

suburban Rlys Super Dense Crush Load
reduces the bogie clearances to Nil resulting in
severe hitting.
• Failure of components due to hitting.
• Poor riding behavior of coach
• Intensive inspections required.
• Excess maintenance required
• High wheel rail forces
Need for adoption of Air suspension

Growth Of Passengers
(In Terms of Passengers)
TRAILER
MOTOR
– Tare Weight (T) 32.5 51.0
– Pay Load (T) 18.0 15.5
Past PDCL 28.5 21.00
Present SDCL 34.0 28.0
 Design loads for DCEMU

• Initial Design
DCL Condition – Sitting + Number of standing
passengers @ 200% of sitting passengers
Total Pay Load (Motor Coach) = 18 T
Total Pay Load (Trailer Coach) = 15.5 T
Intermediate Period
PDCL Condition – sitting + Number of standing
passengers @ 12 per Square Mtr. of floor space.
Total Pay Load (Motor Coach) = 28.5 T
Total Pay Load (Trailer Coach) = 21.0 T
 Design loads for DCEMU
Present Scenario
SDCL CONDITION – Sitting + No. of Standing
passenger @ 16 per square mtr. Of floor
space
(average passenger weight is 60 Kg.)

COACH TYPE TARE (t) PAY LOAD (t) Gross (t)

MOTOR 51.0 28.0 79.0

TRAILER 32.5 34.0 66.5

 Need for adoption of Air
suspension

Therefore, there was a need for such a

spring which could provide low
stiffness in empty condition and high
stiffness in gross load condition with an
added advantage of maintaining the
spring height at a constant level. This is
possible only with pneumatic
suspension.
Comparison with existing coil suspension:
• Unlike steel springs, air springs retain their height under
changing loads. The low natural frequency of air spring
suspension remains virtually constant.
• In case of coil spring, deflection is proportionate to the
load, therefore, under high payload situation, space
constraint becomes critical, leading to the use of stiffer
springs resulting in unsatisfactory ride behavior and
reduced speed potential.
• Air springs through their control mechanism, offer a load
proportionate stiffness, constant floor height and
prospects of better ride behavior with higher speed
potential.
Air Springs Vs Helical Steel Springs
Air Springs Vs Helical Steel Springs
Achieving of its characteristics:
• Soft flexible characteristics under vertical direction :
Achieved by compression of the air
• Excellent lateral spring characteristics : Achieved by
variation in effective area in lateral direction Good
self damping : Achieved by placing an optimized
orifice between air spring and additional reservoir
• To avoid unnecessary air consumption due to all
modes of vehicle oscillation or change in air
pressure : Achieved by designing delayed reaction
levelling valve
Vertical Spring
Action

Lateral Spring
Action
Self Damping Characteristics
Modifications for Air Spring Fitment

• Installed at Secondary Stage.

• In place of standard bolster suspension
arrangement, a FIXED lower spring beam is
used to accommodate air spring on bolster
• Primary springs are made stiffer.
• Additional air reservoir (20 litres) provided on
bogie bolster.
• Leveling Valve, Installation lever etc fitted as
per schematic diagram.
Schematic diagram of Air
Suspension Equipments
Actual diagram of Air Suspension
Equipments

Bolster Air spring Leveling valve

Installation
lever
 Working Principle
• Rubber bellows containing presurised air and
emergency rubber spring provide various suspension
characteristics including damping.
• Air springs are height –controlled load levelling
suspension devices.
• With changing loads, air spring reacts initially by
changing the distance between air-spring support &
vehicle body.
• The height monitoring valve (levelling valve) in turn
actuates , either getting the compressed air pressure to
the air spring or releasing air pressure to atmosphere.
• The process continues until the original height is
restored.
Working principle of Pneumatic
Suspension
Working principle of Pneumatic
Suspension
Delayed reaction of Control valve

(To avoid excessive air consumption )

 Duplex Check valves
• Fitted between two air springs of the same
bogie
• Pressure differential on DC valve is set at 1.5
• Basically comprises of two check valves side
by side, arranged so that air can flow in either
direction when the air pressure differential
exceeds the pre-set value.
• Whenever a burst air spring occurs on one
side, this valve will ensure that no severe tilt
or twist occurs during movement of the coach
 Duplex Check valves
• Air springs can have differential pressures upto the
preset value ( both check valves remain closed)
• When the differential air pressure exceeds the preset
value, the air at higher pressure overcomes the spring
pressure and flows to the lower pressure via the check
valve. The flow continues till the differential reaches
the preset value.
• In case of burst, the air leaks to atmosphere. Due to
high pressure differential, air starts leaking from the
intact air spring to the burst air spring via DC
valve.Thus complete coach end will gradually come
and rest on the emergency rubber springs.
 Air Springs for Mainline ICF stock
• 8th CMG approved fitment of Air Springs on mainline
AC coaches
Internal details of the air spring
Attachment wire core
External protective layer
Reinforcement
Belt

Internal protective coat

 Advantages of Air suspension:
• Capable to sustain Super Dense Crush Load of suburban
traffic.
• Constant floor height of coach.
• Excellent ride comfort.
• Safe running.
• Virtually Constant natural frequency from tare to full loads.
• Low design height.
• Integral input signal for load dependent braking and
acceleration.
• Isolation of structure borne noise.
• Improved reliability, reduced maintenance.
• Great durability.
• Possibility of voluntarily choosing air spring characteristics.
 General Technical Data
• Supplied by “Contitech” and “Firestone”
• Static Vertical Load on Air Spring:
Tare: 51 KN, Full load: 142 KN
• Vertical Stiffness:
Tare: 550 N/mm, Full load: 975 N/mm
• Horizontal stiffness:
Tare: 325 N/mm, Full load: 430 N/mm
• Emergency Spring vertical stiffness:
Tare: 4000 N/mm, Full load: 6000 N/mm
• Air spring volume: 26 litres
• Design height of air spring: 255 mm
Projects to improve riding quality
Development of Air springs for EMUs
Development of new suspension of
Coaching Container Flat.
Development of better suspension of
existing ICF coaches.
 Development of Air springs for EMUs

 AC-DC, AC and DC EMUs retrofitted

with state-of-the-art Air springs.
 Ride comfort has improved substantially.
 Problems of peak loads variations i.e.
normal load to SDCL have been solved
without compromising on riding comfort.
 OSCILLATION TRIAL RESULTS
SECTION - VIRAR-CHURCHGATE(WR)
SPEED - 90 KMPH
STOCK - dc EMU MCE TC WITH AIRSUS
TRACK - STRAIGHT
ACCEPTANCE LIMIT-RI > 4.0
MAX. R.I
VERTICAL LATERIAL\
MOTOR COACH
EMPTY 2.86 3.38
LOADED 2.97 3.49

TRAILER COACH
EMPTY 2.95 3.11
LOADED 3.11 3.75
Vertical Ride Index

Lateral Ride Index

Existing Suspension on all coil ICF Bogie
 
Pneumatic Suspension on modified ICF Bogie
 

RIDING OF BG AC/DC EMU MOTOR COACH (ALSTOM)

(at speed 70 Kmph)
 Development of New suspension
for Coaching Container Flat.
 CCF design needed suspension that would have
acceptable ride indices and simultaneously cater to
wide variation in payload (39.75t) at high running
speeds.
 Such a variation was impossible to handle using
conventional springs.
 Use of Air springs has successfully solved the
problem of achieving acceptable riding with high
payload and at high speed.
Coaching Container Flat design
Development of better suspension of
existing upper class ICF coaches
 Various modifications have been done over
past decades to achieve better riding and
higher reliability of standard design of ICF
coach.
 Further ride comfort increase cannot be
achieved without making major changes in the
bogie design.
 Retrofitment of Air springs can improve the
ride behaviour of existing ICF coach with
little investment and minimal design change.
Air springs for FAC…
• Air springs provide
 Excellent bogie-body isolation.
 Excellent noise reduction.
 Superior ride index.
 Air springs characteristics have to be customized
to suit specific coach weight.
 Customization of air spring characteristics for
existing FAC has been done – its manufacturing
feasibility is under study with M/s ContiTech®
GmbH Germany.
 Optimized Air spring for FAC show superior ride
comfort vis-à-vis present suspension.
Vertical RI Lateral RI

Existing Suspension on all coil ICF Bogie

 
Modified Suspension on all coil ICF Bogie
 
Pneumatic Suspension on modified ICF Bogie

Vertical & Lateral Ride Index of FAC (EOG) coach at 145 KM/H
• Fitment of air springs for secondary suspension of
mainline ICF coaches.
 Design of Air Spring has been finalized.

RDSO has advised ICF to manufacture one

power car (WLRRM) and one Executive
Chair Car (WCZ FAC) for conducting
oscillation trials.
 Achievements of NUCARS
(New and Untried Car Analysis Regime Simulation)
Developed by M/s AAR, USA

1. Development of Air Springs in DC EMUs.

2. Development of Coaching Container Flat with Air
springs.
3. Development of AC & AC-DC EMU with Air Springs.
4. High Capacity BG DMU with Air springs.
5. Development of variants of LHB coaches with Air
springs.
6. Retrofitment of air springs on standard ICF coaches.
Thank You
• Provision of hydro springs in primary
eliminating the dashpot arrangement.