Coupler separation of slave locomotive in a 20,000-tonne combined heavy-haul train during air-braking release

Coupler separation is among the serious accidents threatening the operation safety of heavy-haul trains. This paper reports a study on the formation mechanism and key influencing factors of middle coupler separation of a 20,000-tonne combined heavy-haul train during air-braking release by means of field investigation, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The interaction state between the connected coupler knuckles and the potential sensitive factors leading to the coupler separation are investigated based on field tests and theoretical analysis. The formation process of coupler separation and the related influencing factors are analysed through numerical simulations. The results show that the coupler separation between slave locomotives and connected wagons usually occurs in the switching process of the longitudinal coupler force from the buffing (compressive) state to the draw (tensile) state. The excessive initial height difference of connected coupler knuckles, dynamic braking force of locomotive, pitch angle of locomotive and wagon coupler as well as the too small friction coefficient of the coupler knuckles significantly increase the risk of coupler separation.