A braking-integrated active steering strategy for rail vehicles based on distributed electro-mechanical braking system

Active steering technology offers an effective solution for improving curve negotiation in rail vehicles. This study investigates the use of the distributed electro-mechanical tread brake system as the braking-integrated active steering actuator, focusing on bogie steering performance under asymmetric braking conditions. First, the electro-mechanical braking system and its push-out force characteristics are introduced. The curve passing performance of the rail vehicle is then analyzed under both normal and single-sided brake failure scenarios. Based on the steering behavior observed under asymmetric braking, a curve passing model is developed using the equivalent creep coefficient approach. The global optimal wear number is derived by accounting for braking torque and external force inputs. Considering the physical constraints of the electro-mechanical tread brake system, the local optimal solution is further obtained through the co-simulation model. Finally, the influence of system parameters, curve radius and emergency braking on the control effect is discussed. Results show that this braking-integrated strategy significantly enhances the curve passing performance of rail vehicles under braking condition and serves as a reference for active steering control system.