Design Life Analysis of KTX Running Gear Systems on Various Operating Conditions

The maximum speed of KTX is 305 km/h for commercial service and it is designed to reach 330 km/h. The design fatigue life of KTX running gear systems is 20 years. The mileage per year of KTX train is 600,000 km/year. In other words, the design life of the KTX running gear systems is 12,000,000km. KTX train is designed to be dedicated to driving the high-speed railway. But the KTX train routes that connect with the conventional line and high-speed line service. South Korea’s high-speed railway design maximum speed is 350km/h. Comparison, speed KTX train existing line of service is set to 150km/h, 180km/h and 220km/h, depending on the section. Thus, the value of the maximum torque, torsional stress and bending moments acting on the KTX running gear systems may appear differently from the high-speed line design criteria. Furthermore, the maximum stress/strain acting on the suspension of parts of the running gear system is different. In this study, the actual KTX train to set running gear system design life compared to the actual life, according to the characteristics of the actual service routes were compared and analyzed.