Development and Optimisation ofInnovative Running Gear Conceptsfor an Ultra-High-Speed Train

Abstract: Since the last ten to 15 years, railway operators have to face new challenges which are an increased demand on comfort and high safety requirements, increased energy costs and the high competitive market situation. German Aerospace Center, DLR is designing a novel concept of an ultra-high-speed train with distributed propulsion system—the Next Generation Train (NGT). It consists of two Power units and eight powered intermediate cars. The intermediate cars are characterised by powered single-wheel single running gears supporting the low-floor concept within the whole train, re-sulting in both effective usage of the inner space but less space for the run-ning gears itself. Additionally, the traditional guiding system with wheel-sets cannot be applied.  The first goal of this Master’s thesis is the analysis of the state of the art for unconventional running and driving gears to get an overview of possi-ble and operating technologies. Based on this research and previous spec-ifications for the train, a technical specification for the running gear was created. This led to the development of a number of different concepts un-der consideration of the available space and an optimised arrangement of relevant components. After a conclusion and evaluation of these concepts, a CAD implementation of the relevant structural elements of the selected variant is the final goal of this thesis. Additionally to the technical specifi-cations, the focus lies on lightweight design to support the stringent weight concept of the NGT. However, the accessibility for assembling and mainte-nance is considered, too. The result is a CAD model of only one of doubtless more than a dozen possible variants. Hence, possible changes at specific parts are addressed; advantages and disadvantages were discussed. Finally, the concept was evaluated on the basis of the underlying technical specification.