Abstract：
Taking Fuxing EMU as example, this article introduces the “invisible hero” of high-speed EMU – coupler & buffer system.
“Dragons, flying up hill and down dale, bring peace to the snow-covered plateau……”The popular song names the train as “dragon” due to its long body.
Here comes the question: how so many cars are closely connected together? Especially for the running Fuxing EMU in high speed, what ensures the safe “hand in hand” between cars and the synchronous running?
In fact, the “hand” that enables reliable and close connection between cars is called coupler & buffer system.
The coupler located between cars is often referred to as intermediate coupler. It can connect the cars and transmit power to ensure the trainset running uniformly on the track.
The intermediate coupler of Fuxing EMU can bear the maximum tension up to 1000kN, equivalent to the weight of pulling 20 adult African elephants.
In addition, each passenger can feel the stability, especially during starting and stopping, and this is the credit of the internal buffer of intermediate coupler.
Another “heavyweight member” in the coupler & buffer family is the head car coupler, which as the the name implies, is the coupler at the front end of head car.
It is well known that one conventional EMU is formed by 8 cars. In case of large passenger flow volume, two EMUs will be coupled to form a 16-car EMU, so that the passengers can be doubled. The head car coupler can achieve this function!
The head car coupler can not only transmit power, but also connect the air path and electrical signal between trains to realize the all-round synchronization of systems such as traction, braking and network between two trains, so that this couple of EMUs can not only be “hand in hand”, but also “heart to heart”. In addition, the head car coupler on Fuxing EMU is fully automatic, which can be automatically coupled and uncoupled.
Besides the intermediate coupler and head car coupler, there is also transitional coupler.
Under special circumstances, due to the failure of catenary power supply system on the running line, EMU can’t be powered normally and has to stop. At this moment, the diesel locomotive shall be used to pull the entire EMU to the safety area. It is the transitional coupler that ensures the tight coupling between the couplers of diesel locomotive and EMU head car.
There are often differences in coupler models for different train types, and the transitional coupler is their “translator” which enables the reconnection of different types of rescue cars and EMU to implement the rescue work.
So far, the three important members in coupler & buffer family are all introduced. You may have question that the coupler is intuitively straight, but sometimes there is large curve in the running line, how can the train pass through the curve?
In fact, the coupler can help the train negotiate the curve smoothly by its own swinging in horizontal direction. In case of up and down slopes, the cars are different in heights, and the coupler can achieve the swinging in vertical direction.
Through the above introduction, we can tell the importance of coupler & buffer system to the riding safety and comfort. When it comes to the core manufacturer of coupler & buffer system, we have to mention the Chinese leading company - CRRC SRI.
After decades of accumulation and accretion, the coupler & buffer system of CRRC SRI has helped and witnessed the vigorous development of China’s railway industry from each speeding-up to the introduction of high-speed EMU, and to the current running Fuxing EMU, the coupler & buffer system of CRRC SRI is indispensable.
As the R&D center of the coupler technology of China CRRC, while CRRC SRI is deeply involved in the domestic market, the coupler & buffer system has also made important breakthroughs in overseas markets such as Europe, South America and Asia.
As the pioneer of "going out" strategy of China's high-speed railway, CRRC SRI will continue to rely on the advantages of electromechanical integration, deepen the cross-system and cross-domain technology integration and innovation capabilities, and contribute to China CRRC becoming a respected international company.