At 10: 50 on May 23, China's 600 km/h high-speed maglev test prototype was offline in Qingdao. This marks a major breakthrough in the field of high-speed maglev technology in China. The high-speed maglev train can fill the gap of travel speed between aviation and high-speed rail passenger transport, which is of great technical and economic significance to improve the three-dimensional high-speed passenger transport network in China.

The national key research and development plan "advanced rail transit" has deployed the high-speed maglev transportation system with a speed of 600 km/h. Its purpose is to overcome the core technology of high-speed maglev, comprehensively and independently master the design, manufacturing, debugging and test evaluation methods of high-speed maglev, and develop a 600 km/h high-speed maglev engineering system with independent intellectual property rights, To form the industrialization capacity of high-speed maglev in China.

The project was launched in July 2016, organized by CRRC and implemented by CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., gathering superior resources in the field of domestic high-speed rail and maglev, and jointly forming a "joint fleet" with more than 30 enterprises, universities and scientific research institutes to jointly tackle key problems. According to Ding Sansan, head of the high-speed maglev project and deputy chief engineer of CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., after nearly three years of technical research, the project team has successfully broken through the key core technologies of the high-speed maglev series, and important phased results have been achieved in the research and development of core subsystems such as vehicles, traction and transportation control communications.

In terms of vehicles, we have conquered the core technology of maglev trains and successfully developed a high-speed maglev test prototype vehicle with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. It has solved a series of problems such as lightweight, strength, rigidity and noise under ultra-high speed conditions, and developed a new generation of lightweight and high-strength car body. Break through the constraints of complex fluid-solid coupling under high-speed conditions, solve the problems of aerodynamic resistance and lift, and reach the international advanced level in aerodynamic performance. Developed high-precision suspension guidance, speed measurement and positioning devices and control systems, with international leading performance indicators; overcame a series of key processes such as laser hybrid welding of long and thin-walled aluminum alloy car bodies, electromagnet foil winding, suspension frame precision casting, etc., and developed key components such as car bodies, electromagnets and their control devices have excellent performance, achieving a major breakthrough in engineering technology.

In terms of traction system, the world's first set of 24MVA high-power traction converter system based on active midpoint embedding (ANPC) technology and high-speed multi-zone traction control system are independently developed. In terms of operation and control communication, we innovate the system architecture, develop a high-speed fully automatic control system suitable for long trunk lines and multi-partition tracking operation, and develop a new communication system based on LTE architecture and low latency technology. At present, the traction system and the transport and control communication system have completed the development of the test prototype.

According to Ding Sansan, the test prototype, as an important part of the research and development of the high-speed maglev project, is a "real vehicle-level" test verification platform for high-speed maglev. The key technology and core system components of high-speed maglev can be verified and optimized by testing the prototype vehicle. The off-line of the test prototype has laid a technical foundation for the development of the subsequent engineering prototype. "At present, the test prototype has achieved static suspension and is in good condition." Ding Sansan told reporters.

As a new high-speed traffic mode, high-speed maglev has the advantages of high speed, safety and reliability, low noise, small vibration, large passenger capacity, weather-proof punctuality, and less maintenance.

At present, the maximum operating speed of high-speed rail is 350 km/h, the cruising speed of aircraft is 800-900 km/h, and the high-speed maglev with a speed of 600 km/h can fill the speed gap between high-speed rail and air transportation.

As the fastest ground transportation tool that can be realized at present, high-speed maglev is used for long-distance transportation, which can form high-speed "corridors" between large hub cities or between urban agglomerations and urban agglomerations ". According to the actual travel time, within the range of 1500 kilometers, high-speed maglev is the fastest mode of transportation. "Take Beijing to Shanghai as an example, plus the journey preparation time, it takes about 4.5 hours by plane, about 5.5 hours for high-speed rail, and only about 3.5 hours for high-speed maglev." Ding Sansan is introduced.

At the same time, high-speed maglev has the technical advantages of "fast start and stop", which can play a speed advantage and is also suitable for short-and medium-distance passenger transport. It can be used for commuting in large cities or connecting adjacent cities in urban agglomerations, greatly improving the efficiency of urban commuting, and promoting the development of "integration" and "co-urbanization" of urban agglomerations.

The high-speed maglev operates in a "rail-holding" manner, and there is no risk of derailment of the train. The traction power supply system is arranged on the ground and adopts sectional power supply. Only one train can run in the same power supply section, basically without rear-end collision risk. Compared with the wheel-rail train, the maglev train has no traditional "wheels", no contact with the track, no wheel-rail friction, less maintenance, and a full life cycle cost advantage.

As an international cutting-edge technology, high-speed maglev is a major "commanding point" of the current world rail transit technology ". A number of developed countries have carried out long-term continuous research and development, and built a high-speed maglev test line and other research and development verification platform. At present, Japan has a 42.8-kilometer Yamanashi magnetic levitation test line and has achieved a maximum test speed of 603 km/h on the test line. The construction of high-speed test demonstration line is a necessary platform for the test verification and design optimization of high-speed maglev system, and an important carrier for promoting engineering and industrialization. It is of great and far-reaching significance for the formation of full-speed test verification capability of high-speed maglev system, the construction of a complete technical system and standard system, and the continuous leading of rail transit technology in China.

It is understood that around the high-speed maglev project, CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd. is currently building a high-speed maglev experimental center and a high-speed maglev trial production center, which are expected to be put into use in the second half of this year. At the same time, the development of five high-speed maglev engineering prototype vehicles with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour is also progressing smoothly. According to the project plan, the 600-kilometer-per-hour high-speed maglev prototype will be offline in 2020. In 2021, a comprehensive system test will be carried out on the commissioning line to complete the integration verification and form a high-speed maglev engineering capability.