Intellectual property rights help maglev trains refresh "China Speed"
“Low-altitude flight,” “a flying sensation”… Recently, China's 600-kilometer-per-hour high-speed maglev test vehicle was launched in Qingdao, Shandong, marking a major breakthrough in China's high-speed maglev technology. As soon as the news came out, netizens gave a thumbs up to "China Speed."
Currently, the highest operating speed of high-speed rail is 350 kilometers per hour, and the speed of airplanes is 800 to 1000 kilometers per hour. The 600-kilometer-per-hour high-speed maglev train can fill the speed gap between high-speed rail and air transportation. According to reports, in 2016, the National Key Research and Development Program "Advanced Rail Transit" key project deployed a 600-kilometer-per-hour high-speed maglev transportation system. Its purpose is to overcome core technologies of high-speed maglev, comprehensively master the design, manufacturing, debugging, and testing and evaluation methods of high-speed maglev, and develop a 600-kilometer-per-hour high-speed maglev engineering system with independent intellectual property rights. The project is organized by CRRC, implemented by CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., and jointly tackled by more than 30 enterprises, universities, and research institutes. After three years, it finally produced a satisfactory answer.
"This is good news that showcases the image of a great power and boosts national morale!" Sun Guorui, a professor at Beihang University and president of the Beijing Intellectual Property Research Association, said in an interview with this reporter that the launch of the high-speed maglev test vehicle has given China's creation stronger international voice and core competitiveness.
The Shanghai maglev train demonstration operation line, which opened in 2002, can reach a speed of 430 kilometers per hour, but the technology is foreign. Zhai Wanming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Southwest Jiaotong University, said that independent intellectual property rights are the keywords for the high-speed maglev test vehicle launched this time.
How difficult is the research and development process of high-speed maglev trains? Ding Sann, deputy chief engineer of CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., introduced that resistance, lift, and electromagnetic control under high speed are all core issues that need to be overcome. To this end, CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd. regularly tracks and publishes the patent layout dynamics in the field of maglev technology, masters cutting-edge technologies and market development directions, analyzes the patent layout of hot technologies, and provides intelligence support for technical departments to avoid repeated research and infringement risks. Solid intellectual property work is both an "accelerator" and a "safety valve," laying the foundation for the "take-off" of high-speed maglev trains.
The high-speed maglev train door is less than two square meters, but it is a complex electromechanical system integrating multiple disciplines such as mechanics, materials, control, communication, and computers. Nanjing Konny Electromechanical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Konny Electromechanical), which provides train doors for "Harmony" and "Fuxing" EMUs, undertook the research and development of the high-speed maglev train door system. "High-speed maglev trains have higher operating speeds than existing EMUs, which puts higher demands on the safety and comfort of the door system." Shi Xiang, chief engineer of Konny Electromechanical, introduced that Konny Electromechanical conducted research on door technology based on the actual operating conditions of high-speed maglev trains, decomposed key technologies and indicators, formulated solutions, and finally developed doors that passed performance tests such as strength, sealing, sound insulation, heat insulation, and lightweight, meeting the conditions for vehicle inspection. In the past, key technologies for rail transit doors were long monopolized by foreign companies. After arduous efforts, Konny Electromechanical developed rail transit doors with independent intellectual property rights. "There are no advanced foreign technologies to learn from for key technologies; we must rely on independent research and development to seek technological breakthroughs." Shi Xiang said.
From 430 kilometers per hour to 600 kilometers per hour, from using foreign technology to mastering core technology, the research and development units of the high-speed maglev train project insisted on independent research and development, overcame the core technology of maglev trains, solved a series of problems such as lightweight, strength, stiffness, and noise of the vehicle body under ultra-high-speed conditions, and developed high-precision suspension guidance, speed measurement and positioning devices, and control systems with internationally leading levels, constantly refreshing "China Speed." (Intellectual Property News Reporter Li Qian)
