Experimental study on performance evaluation of suspension control system based on minimum variance benchmark

Track irregularities are a primary source of disturbance to the suspension system of maglev trains, directly affecting suspension stability, operational safety, and riding comfort. High-performance suspension control systems exhibit effective resistance to track irregularities and vehicle-track coupling vibrations. Stochastic performance evaluation indexes are typically used to measure the system’s ability to resist uncertain disturbance, with the minimum variance index being the most commonly used. In this study, the applicability of the minimum variance evaluation index for evaluating the performance of suspension systems was analyzed through simulations based on a single-point suspension system model. Relying on the medium-low speed line of Changsha maglev express based on electromagnetic suspension (EMS), suspension gap data was collected during real train operation via an on-board suspension data acquisition system. This data was then used to conduct a performance evaluation of suspension control systems based on the minimum variance benchmark. The results show that the minimum variance index plays a relatively effective role in reflecting the operating performance of suspension control systems. Additionally, hidden troubles such as track irregularities are identified timely based on changes in performance indexes.