Keynote One: Duncan Kay, Head of Vehicle Engineering, International Vehicle Standards, Department for Transport

Regulation Activities for Brake Emissions

Health experts say there is no safe limit for particulate emissions in the air that we breath, and road transport is a major contributor to this problem. The good news is that improved engine design and exhaust aftertreatment technology have dramatically reduced particulate emissions from road vehicles. As a result, the majority of road transport particulates are now the result of brake, tyre and road wear. So what should legislators and the industry do to address this?

Keynote Two: Dr.-Ing. Stefan Dörsch, Head of CoC brakes, couplings, door-systems, DB Systemtechnik GmbH, Germany

What can the automotive braking community learn from rail, and vice versa? Some thoughts about electric cars and autonomous driving

Dr. Stefan Dörsch, DB Systemtechnik GmbH, Johannes Gräber, Knorr Bremse SfS GmbH & Roberto Tione, Faiveley Transport / Wabtec

The global automotive industry is facing major challenges on a range of topics, including several technical issues which are well known to the railway sector. This presentation aims to provide a short overview of techniques and general principles in the railway sector which could act as the basis for potential further collaborations between the two sectors.

In terms of brake management, the sophisticated interaction between a conventional braking system and the use of the traction motor as a generator is an essential factor. The hierarchical interaction of different braking systems, including electro-dynamic, regenerative braking is well established in the railway industry, and a case study of DB AG’s ICE 3 will be used to illustrate this interaction.

Since the introduction of signalling systems, railway operation has been externally-controlled, with a strong link to the braking performance of trains. When it comes to autonomous driving, the automotive braking community will face the same challenges. In the rail sector, the organisation of train movements over the track is classically regulated, typically controlled by optical signals. The most up to date version of the European Train Control System (ETCS) requires no signals and limited trackside equipment, enabling the automated driving of trains.

This presentation will provide an overview of the technical principles and safety requirements for such a system,  and then focus on the retroactive effects on train brake control, which must meet the objective of robust and optimised operational control. The reproducibility of braking distances under a wide range of weather conditions, for example, plays a major role here. Braking in the railway sector is closely connected to the guiding of trains along the track, and there are opportunities to explore parallels with automated vehicles.

Finally, daily brake performance testing is a long-established practice in the rail sector, to determine the continuity of the brake control line as well as the readiness of individual brake-generating elements. In principle, similar procedures will be required for autonomous driving in the absence of a driver carrying out legally required brake checks.

The presentation will conclude by encouraging a dialog between braking specialists in the railway sector with those in the automotive sector, in order to benefit both sectors.

For the first time this year we will hold a Rail Panel “EuroBrake meets Shift2Rail” to establish a closer cooperation with the major European Research Program Shift2Rail (https://shift2rail.org/). 

We will start with an introduction to Shift2Rail by Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of the European Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, with a particular focus on the evolution of automation in the European railway systems in order to maximize the performance of the current infrastructure in terms of capacity, lifecycle cost reductions and punctuality. In this respect, railway automation and digitalization rely on the performance and contributions of critical subsystems, where the braking systems has a major role. The R&I work started with a bottom-up technological approach in S2R has evolved during the years with the introduction of a system integrated approach, to ensure that all critical elements deliver together a functional performance that will contribute to deliver sustainable mobility, with rail playing a major role.

The Panel will then see 3 technical presentations from Wabtec, Knorr-Bremse and SNCF linked to research topics of Shift2Rail.

The panel will be rounded off by a Round Table with Carlo Borghini and the speakers of the technical presentations, moderated by Roberto Tione (Wabtec) and Johannes Gräber (Knorr-Bremse) giving the audience the opportunity to ask questions, draw conclusions and discuss future steps.

• Intro Shift2Rail

• Safe deceleration recovery in degraded braking conditions

• Concept for Reproducible Braking Distance

• The Digital Freight Train and Associated Use Cases

• Round Table Shift2Rail Braking Topics – Q&A, conclusions, future steps