A Distributed Braking Scheme for Heavy-Haul Trains Using Coupler Force Compensation

Jilie Zhang; Zhiyong Chen; Ge Guo

doi:10.1109/JAS.2025.125870

Volume 13 Issue 4

Apr. 2026

IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica

JCR Impact Factor: 19.2, Top 1 (SCI Q1)

CiteScore: 28.2, Top 1% (Q1)
Google Scholar h5-index: 95， TOP 5

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica > 2026 > 13(4): 877-887

J. Zhang, Z. Chen, and G. Guo, “A distributed braking scheme for heavy-haul trains using coupler force compensation,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 877–887, Apr. 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125870

Citation:

J. Zhang, Z. Chen, and G. Guo, “A distributed braking scheme for heavy-haul trains using coupler force compensation,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 877–887, Apr. 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125870

Citation:

PDF( 1826 KB)

A Distributed Braking Scheme for Heavy-Haul Trains Using Coupler Force Compensation

doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125870

Funds: The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62373312, 62173079, 62573104), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2682025XJ007), and Hebei Natural Science Foundation (F2025501051)

More Information

Author Bio:
Jilie Zhang received the B.S. degree in automation from Liaoning University of Technology in 2007 and the M.S. degree in control theory and control engineering from Kunming University of Science and Technology in 2010. He received the Ph.D. degree in the College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University in 2014. He is currently a Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University. His current research interests include heavy-haul train control, vehicle platoon, and multi-agent system

Zhiyong Chen received the B.E. degree in automation from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2000, and the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical and automation engineering from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, in 2002 and 2005, respectively. He worked as a Research Associate at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA, from 2005 to 2006. In 2006, he joined The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia, where he is currently a Professor. He was also a Changjiang Chair Professor with Central South University. His research interests include nonlinear systems and control, biological systems, and reinforcement learning. Dr. Chen is/was an Associate Editor of Automatica, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, and IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics

Ge Guo (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.S. degree and PhD degree from Northeastern University in 1994 and 1998, respectively. From May 2000 to April 2005, he was with Lanzhou University of Technology as a Professor and the director of the Institute of Intelligent Control and Robots. He then joined Dalian Maritime University as a Professor with the Department of Automation. Since 2018, he has been a Professor with Northeastern University (NEU) and the director of the Center of Intelligent Transportation Systems of NEU. He has published over 260 international journal papers within his areas of interest, which include intelligent transportation systems, cyber-physical systems, etc. Dr. Guo is a Senior Editor of IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles, Information Sciences, IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine, ACTA Automatica Sinica, China Journal of Highway and Transport and Journal of Control and Decision, etc. He won several awards including the Chinese Association of Automation (CAA) Young Scientist Award, the First Prize of Natural Science Award of Hebei Province, the First Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Gansu Province, etc
Corresponding author: Zhiyong Chen, e-mail: zhiyong.chen@newcastle.edu.au
Received Date: 2025-01-12
Revised Date: 2025-05-07
Accepted Date: 2025-08-18

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper, a novel distributed braking scheme is proposed for automatic heavy-haul trains equipped with an electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) braking system. The scheme consists of a coupler force compensator and a cooperative controller. The compensator is designed to counteract the coupler force acting on each car, i.e., the forces from its front and rear adjacent cars. With this compensation, the braking control problem is transformed into a platooning problem of multiple vehicles. The cooperative controller then regulates the velocity and position of adjacent cars. Numerical studies using MATLAB and the Universal Mechanism simulator are conducted to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme.
- Coupler force,
- distributed braking control,
- heavy-haul trains,
- platooning control,
- robust control

FullText(HTML)

References(34)

References

[1]	H. Dong, B. Ning, B. Cai, and Z. Hou, “Automatic train control system development and simulation for high-speed railways,” IEEE Circuits Syst. Mag., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 6–18, 2010. doi: 10.1109/MCAS.2010.936782
[2]	Q. Zhang, J. Gao, Q. Wu, Q. He, L. Tie, W. Zhai, and S. Zhu, “A novel vibration-based self-adapting method to acquire real-time following distance for virtually coupled trains,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 27–39, Jan. 2025. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2024.124326
[3]	S. Xiao, X. Ge, and Q. Wu, “Attack-resilient distributed cooperative control of virtually coupled high-speed trains via topology reconfiguration,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 1066–1068, Apr. 2024. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2023.124011
[4]	H. Zhou, W. Sheng, and H. Liu, “A modeling method for the driving process of heavy-haul train based on multi-mass model,” IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 185548–185556, Oct. 2020. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3029965
[5]	Y. Huang, S. Bai, X. Meng, H. Yu, and M. Wang, “Research on the driving strategy of heavy-haul train based on improved genetic algorithm,” Adv. Mech. Eng., vol. 10, no. 8, Art no. 1687814018791016, Aug. 2018. doi: 10.1177/1687814018791016
[6]	P. Howlett, P. Pudney, and X. Vu, “Local energy minimization in optimal train control,” Automatica, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 2692–2698, Nov. 2009. doi: 10.1016/j.automatica.2009.07.028
[7]	Y. Bai, T. K. Ho, B. Mao, Y. Ding, and S. Chen, “Energy-efficient locomotive operation for Chinese mainline railways by fuzzy predictive control,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 938–948, Jun. 2014. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2013.2292712
[8]	X. Yao, J. H. Park, H. Dong, L. Guo, and X. Lin, “Robust adaptive nonsingular terminal sliding mode control for automatic train operation,” IEEE Trans. Syst., Man, Cybern.: Syst., vol. 49, no. 12, pp. 2406–2415, Dec. 2019. doi: 10.1109/TSMC.2018.2817616
[9]	P. Gruber and M. Bayoumi, “Suboptimal control strategies for multilocomotive powered trains,” IEEE Trans. Autom. Control, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 536–546, Jun. 1982. doi: 10.1109/TAC.1982.1102986
[10]	P. Gruber and M. M. Bayoumi, “Train braking performance studies using suboptimal controllers-Part II,” CIGGT Rep. 79−12, Oct. 1979.
[11]	X. Zhuan and X. Xia, “Cruise control scheduling of heavy haul trains,” IEEE Trans. Control Syst. Technol., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 757–766, Jul. 2006. doi: 10.1109/TCST.2006.872506
[12]	M. Chou, X. Xia, and C. Kayser, “Modelling and model validation of heavy-haul trains equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brake systems,” Control Eng. Pract., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 501–509, Apr. 2007. doi: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2006.09.006
[13]	X. Zhuan and X. Xia, “Optimal scheduling and control of heavy haul trains equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic braking systems,” IEEE Trans. Control Syst. Technol., vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 1159–1166, Nov. 2007. doi: 10.1109/TCST.2007.899721
[14]	M. Chou and X. Xia, “Optimal cruise control of heavy-haul trains equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brake systems,” Control Eng. Pract., vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 511–519, May 2007. doi: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2006.09.007
[15]	L. Zhang and X. Zhuan, “Braking-penalized receding horizon control of heavy-haul trains,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 1620–1628, Dec. 2013. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2013.2263532
[16]	L. Zhang and X. Zhuan, “Optimal operation of heavy-haul trains equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brake systems using model predictive control methodology,” IEEE Trans. Control Syst. Technol., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 13–22, Jan. 2014. doi: 10.1109/TCST.2013.2238235
[17]	L. Zhang and X. Zhuan, “Development of an optimal operation approach in the MPC framework for heavy-haul trains,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 1391–1400, Jun. 2015. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2014.2364178
[18]	X. Xia and J. Zhang, “Modeling and control of heavy-haul trains [applications of control],” IEEE Control Syst. Mag., vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 18–31, Aug. 2011. doi: 10.1109/MCS.2011.941403
[19]	S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe, Convex Optimization. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
[20]	J. Mattingley and S. Boyd, “Real-time convex optimization in signal processing,” IEEE Signal Process. Mag., vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 50–61, May 2010. doi: 10.1109/MSP.2010.936020
[21]	D. G. Luenberger, Optimization by Vector Space Methods. New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons, 1969.
[22]	Y. Zheng, S. E. Li, K. Li, and W. Ren, “Platooning of connected vehicles with undirected topologies: Robustness analysis and distributed H-infinity controller synthesis,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 1353–1364, May 2018. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2017.2726038
[23]	G.-R. Duan, “High-order system approaches: I. Fully-actuated systems and parametric designs,” Acta Autom. Sinica, vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 1333–1345, Jul. 2020.
[24]	G. Duan, “High-order fully actuated system approaches: Part I. Models and basic procedure,” Int. J. Syst. Sci., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 422−435, 2021.
[25]	V. K. Garg and R. V. Dukkipati, Dynamics of Railway Vehicle Systems. Toronto, Canada: Academic Press, 1984.
[26]	X. Ge, L. Ling, Z. Chen, J. Zhang, K. Wang, and W. Zhai, “Experimental assessment of the dynamic performance of slave control locomotive couplers in 20, 000-tonne heavy-haul trains,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng., Part F: J. Rail Rapid Transit, vol. 235, no. 10, pp. 1225–1236, Nov. 2021. doi: 10.1177/0954409721993618
[27]	W. Levine and M. Athans, “On the optimal error regulation of a string of moving vehicles,” IEEE Trans. Autom. Control, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 355–361, Jul. 1966. doi: 10.1109/TAC.1966.1098376
[28]	J. Zhang, Z. Chen, H. Zhang, and T. Feng, “Coupling effect and pole assignment in trajectory regulation of multi-agent systems,” Automatica, vol. 125, Art no. 109465, Mar. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.automatica.2020.109465
[29]	W.-R. Liu, D.-Y. Wang, K. Gao, and Z.-W. Huang, “Design of distributed cooperative observer for heavy-haul train with unknown displacement,” IET Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 239–247, Mar. 2017. doi: 10.1049/iet-its.2016.0154
[30]	X. Wang, S. Li, and T. Tang, “Robust optimal predictive control of heavy haul train under imperfect communication,” ISA Trans., vol. 91, pp. 52–65, Aug. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.isatra.2019.01.029
[31]	Z. Geng, Heavy-haul Transportation Technologies on Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway. 3rd ed. Beijing, China: China Railway Publishing House, 2009.
[32]	J.-P. Yang, “Research on the brake system of railway heavy rail train,” M.S. thesis, Southwest Jiaotong Univ., Chengdu, China, 2015.
[33]	B. D. O. Anderson and J. B. Moore, Optimal Control: Linear Quadratic Methods. Englewood Cliffs, USA: Prentice-Hall, 1990.
[34]	Z. Li, Z. Duan, and G. Chen, “On H_∞ and H₂ performance regions of multi-agent systems,” Automatica, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 797–803, Apr. 2011. doi: 10.1016/j.automatica.2011.01.054

Supplements(0)

Cited By

Proportional views

Proportional views

通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1.
沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

Figures(12) / Tables(2)

Get Citation

PDF

XML

Article Metrics

Article views (23) PDF downloads(2)

A Distributed Braking Scheme for Heavy-Haul Trains Using Coupler Force Compensation

doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125870

Abstract

References

Proportional views

Catalog

通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

Article Metrics

Export File

Citation

Format

Content