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Higher efficiency of rail transportation at the present stage of development of the transport industry necessitates the creation and introduction of rail vehicles with improved technical and economic characteristics among which is reduced tare weight. The issue of reducing the tare weight of wagons is quite urgent. It deals not only with the sprung mass of the wagon but also with the load on the rail track, which is under the influence of constant cyclic loads. Therefore, the present study deals with the development of a wagon covered with tarpaulin for carrying goods requiring protection against the environment. The loads inherent for operation on 1520 mm gauge lines are considered. The covered wagon mod. 11-217 is chosen as a prototype. The profiles of the covered wagon frame components are selected according to the moment of resistance of their cross-sections. It is found that the proposed design has a 16% lower tare weight than that of the prototype. The results of the strength calculation for the wagon under the main design operating modes have proved the feasibility of its structural design. The motion of the covered wagon over a track irregularity has been assessed as 'excellent'. The results of the study will contribute to the creation of recommendations for the development of modern structures of covered wagons as well as improve the efficiency of railway transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rail transport has been the leading sector of the whole transport network. In order to improve the efficiency of its functioning, it is important to develop measures that may help reduce the maintenance cost. To improve the open wagon hatch door strength, it is proposed to make it with rectangular corrugations. The results of calculations show that, taking into account the proposed solution, the weight of the improved hatch door is almost 10% lower than the weight of a typical one. The strength of the hatch door under static loads was calculated. The results of calculations show that the strength of the hatch door under the diagrams considered is ensured. The study will contribute to the development of best practices for modern structures of railway vehicles and increase their cost-effective operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Striving to increase the speed of rail vehicles and thus improve the comfort of traveling passengers at the same time, undertakes activities in the sphere of ensuring an appropriate level of safety of rail, passenger, and freight transport. One of the elements of activities in this area is the training of train drivers. Until recently, this training consisted of a theoretical and practical part on the vehicle, alongside an experienced train driver. Considering the increasing level of automation of railway traffic control systems and locomotive equipment, as well as training costs and requirements related to the introduction of TSI, it is becoming an increasingly common requirement to conduct practical training on railway vehicle traffic simulators, while the conditions in the simulator cabin and the trainee's feelings should correspond to the actual driving conditions. A locomotive driving simulator is a system consisting of a cabin of a suitable type of locomotive or EMU, mapped in 1:1 scale, coupled with a motion excitation system and computer programs connected together forming the software of the cab visualization and dynamics system. The basic program simulating the dynamics and kinematics of the cabin's motion is a program containing a motion dynamics model that generates signals forcing the movement of the exciters on which the cabin's platform is mounted. The correct operation of the simulation model depends on the created mathematical model, which can be built in several ways. This article presents the issue of building a mathematical model describing the dynamics of the rail vehicle motion, which can then be used in the simulation model of the simulator cabin motion. Two ways of proceeding in the process of approaching the construction of a mathematical model of rail vehicle motion dynamics will be presented, with the possibility of later use in creating a simulation model of the motion of the locomotive simulator cabin. One of the possible routes was used in the past in the construction of the EP09 locomotive simulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of the statistical values of wear of brake pads in operation, based on which a wear model was developed, is presented in this paper. This model can be used for predicting the remaining service life of brake pads according to the wagon mileage. The distribution function of wear on the upper and lower parts of the pad was determined, which made it possible to find the main qualitative characteristics, namely, the wear intensity, the γ-percentage wear, and the average pad wear at a specified wagon mileage. The results of the study can be factored for solving complex engineering problems of excessive wear of composite brake pads used for freight rolling stock; they could also help to extend the guaranteed overhaul period and improve the railway traffic safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features of designing the frame of a universal container made of square pipes are presented in this paper. The two frame loading schemes are taken into account: the effect of vertical loading on the container frame when it is lifted by the upper corner fittings (I loading mode); the effect of longitudinal loading on the frame during transportation by the rail transport (II loading mode). Mathematical modeling was performed to determine the longitudinal loading acting on the container in the II loading mode. The determined acceleration is taken into account when constructing the schemes of force factors that arise in the frame. The strength of the frame was calculated using the finite element method, which was implemented in SolidWorks Simulation. The conducted research could contribute to creation of recommendations and developments regarding the design of modern structures of modular vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the results of determining the strength of the brake pad of a freight wagon under uneven loading in operation. The main reasons for the uneven loading on the pad have been found. A mathematical tool for determining the strength of the pad unevenly loaded has been proposed. In the study, the pad is considered to be a rod system loaded with concentrated forces and bending moments. Sensors have been used in order to detect the load state of the brake pads. These sensors have been defined in the simulation software, and they have been placed on the working surface of the pad in the area of its interaction with the wheel. The operation of these sensors was simulated in the simulation software package. The results of the calculation have shown that the stresses in the pad are about 21.1 MPa; thus, they exceed the permissible values by 29%. Therefore, considering the uneven loading of the pad in operation, the strength of the pad is not ensured. To test the obtained results, the strength of the pad was determined using the finite element method. The Coulomb criterion was used for the calculation. It was found that the maximum stresses in the pad were about 19 MPa. These stresses were 21% higher than permissible values and occurred in the back of the pad. The study has proven that the uneven loading on the brake pad in operation can cause their destruction during braking. This may also cause traffic accidents with freight trains during their movement. The results of this study will contribute to the theoretical developments and recommendations aimed at improving the brake system of a freight wagon and rail traffic safety. It is considered that the tensometric sensors will be applied in future experimental tests for comparison and verification of the achieved results from the simulation computations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work highlights the results of a study into the dual wedge-shaped wear of composite brake pads for freight wagons. It has been found that the overnormative wear makes the area of a composite brake pad larger in the lower part up to a value directly proportional to the wagon mileage and smaller in the upper part. To assess the braking efficiency of a rail vehicle, a graphical analytical method has been developed; it allows determining the factor of dual wedge-shaped wear of pads depending on the wagon mileage. The results of calculation were verified by comparing two samplings obtained by mathematical and computer modelling. The results of calculation have proven that the hypothesis on the adequacy is not rejected. The results of the study conducted will allow more accurate assessment of the braking efficiency of freight rolling stock to be made, as well as contribute to improving the safety of train traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the determination of the bearing structure loads of an open car during ro-ro transportation. A special solution for an open car is the application of elastic, viscous honeycomb panels in the frame. This engineering solution can decrease the load of the bearing structure of an open car during interactions with multiple-use lashing devices. This article presents the mathematic modelling of the dynamic load of an open car during ro-ro transportation. This calculation is based on the most popular load diagrams for the bearing structure of an open car applied for sea transportation, namely the rolling motion and the turning motion of a train ferry approaching a dock. It was found that the application of honeycomb panels can decrease the dynamic load of a rail car in comparison to a standard structure by about 25%. The results of the strength calculation of the bearing structure of an open car demonstrated that the maximum equivalent stresses do not exceed the allowable values and are 30% lower than the stresses that emerging in the standard structure. The conducted research can be used by engineers who are concerned about safe and environmentally friendly transportation via train ferries and more efficient ro-ro transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased volumes of freight turnover in international transportation require the situational adaptation of the existing wagon fleet to the transportation of containers, which are commonly used at present. The research presented in this article substantiates the possibility of transporting containers in open wagons. It has been found that taking into account the possible displacements of containers in the body, the stresses at the operating modes can be twice as high as the permissible ones if an open wagon is part of the combined train. In this regard, it is proposed that a detachable multifunctional module for securing containers in the open wagon body be used. The detachable module is fixed through the fitting stops, either stationary or hinged, in the body. The rationale for the choice of the detachable module profile, as well as the results of its strength calculation, is given. The strength of the open wagon body during container transportation has been studied taking into account the proposed fastening diagram. The results of the calculations have shown that the maximum stresses in the body do not exceed permissible values. The results of the study will contribute to improvement in the efficiency of container transportation and the transport industry as a whole. Also, these results may be useful developments for designing modular vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When modelling the dynamics of a rail vehicle ride, one of the important input parameters is the profile geometry of the wheel and rail treads. Commonly available simulation programs have databases containing some standardized profiles, or allow the profile to be added to the database. However, complications arise when a specific profile is required in the simulation analysis. Its geometry must be entered in the form of coordinates of the knot points that can be used to render the curve and thus define the desired profile. Simulation programs, however, do not have the ability to efficiently generate these coordinates. Since this is a lengthy process, the author team has created a program to define this profiles, based on their common drawing documentation. This program allows to create even large amount of profiles needed for variable rail treads definitions of crossings and switch points by a smart way.