Initiatives for Enhancing Riding Comfort

Authors here discuss some initiatives regarding ride comfort in the Shinkansen high speed train, with specific attention given to the manner in which these high speed trains must have their suspensions modified to accommodate for the increased vibration. Riding comfort consists of three subsections- reducing vehicle vibration, suppressing lateral acceleration on curves, and suppressing vertical shock at gradient changes. Some concepts are introduced in this article in order to counteract the problems above- developing an anti-vibration bogie for the Shinkansen, developing tilt-control, and developing a high performance active suspension system. Researchers developed three types of bogies to cope with these difficulties in different ways, each focusing on ride comfort, running safety, or bogie strength among others.