The article gives the study on the areas of application of bronze-babbit bearings for diesel locomotives are considered. Information is provided on the types of diesel engines and locomotives for which they are installed, where such bearings are used. The main types of damage are described: fatigue and corrosion-cavitation wear and the factors affecting them. Authors presented results of research on technological factors that affect fatigue damage, such as the technology of tinning the bronze body with solders, the quality of pig babbit. The chemistry of calcium babbit and BK2 babbit in an antifriction layer is reviewed. The violations that occur during the manufacture of bearings by various manufacturers are described. The results of analysis of the influence of the chemical composition of babbit on its structure are presented. The influence of calcium and magnesium is described, in particular, on the formation of swelling on the babbit surface. The paper provides results of studies on the adaptability of the babbit layer to changes in friction conditions with the formation of various types of secondary structures. Micro-X-ray spectral studies of babbit layers of various liners and secondary structures on friction surfaces have been carried out. As the conclusion of the article the studies carried out and suggestions were made aimed at checking the quality of bronze-babbit bearings manufactured by various manufacturers.

The article presents the fundamentals of methods for estimating lateral and vertical wear of the rail head, as well as their intensity, depending on the geometric and force interaction of the rails and wheels of the rolling stock running in a given section in a stochastic setting. The problem is solved for the general case of the entire manifold of the rolling stock (including various design features) running along a curve of a given radius for a given elevation of the outer rail (or tangent section). The track section is characterized by the main dynamic parameters of the structure of railway superstructure, as well as the specified probabilistic characteristics of random processes that determine its state in terms of plan, profile and level. The quantitative estimates of lateral and vertical wear of the rail head in the article can be used to solve a number of operational problems. For example, it is possible to estimate the effect of the mismatch between the elevation of the outer rail in the curves on the lateral wear of the outer rail and the vertical wear of the inner rail with the mixed traffic of freight and passenger trains.

The article considers technology of the unified control of the transportation process at the eastern operation area of the JSC “Russian Railways” network, which includes four railways: Krasnoyarsk, East Siberian, Transbaikal and Far East. This organization of operational work is a pilot project to create a polygon management in general on the network. It is shown that at the eastern area in the most concentrated form various operational tasks are solved in a unified coordination of the structural enterprises of the production and marketing units of JSC “Russian Railways” on all four railways. There are only two external junctions with other railways, the lines are electrified only by alternating current, the origin and downturn of freight flows occurs mainly within the area. The governing body of the polygon - the TCC EP (TsUP VP) was given the authority to provide regulatory support for the transportation process and to manage the operational work, the implementation of which was previously envisaged at the central and road levels. Authors show the polygon technology of the TCC EP work in the area of the traffic schedule and the train formation plan, the order of rationing and provision of "occupatios" for repair and construction works, logistical support of transportation, operational management of the transportation process, information support and evaluation of the activities of the TCC EP. The structure of management is presented. The developed technological process of the TCC EP operation should become the basis for solving practical problems in the field of the implementation of the polygon control technology for the transportation process, both at the eastern range and at other sites of the JSC ”Russian Railways” network.

The article is a continuation of previously published works on new parking shoes, developed by scientists of the JSC “VNIIZhT” jointly with specialists of the Central Directorate of Traffic Management of the JSC “Russian Railways”, now have been already passed all the necessary tests. Features and results of the controlled performance of the pilot batch of new parking shoes are analyzed in the receiving-departure yard of the Losinoostrovskaya station of the Moscow railway. The results of the tests exceeded all expectations. During the period of 3 months of controlled operation, claims were brought only to the design of the valve; the design of the valve was changed when the product was refined. After semiannual operation, excessively firm steps against the rolling down began to crack, which, however, did not affect the performance of the shoes. In the harshest conditions, no rolling of the car wheels through new shoes was recorded. Ordinary operational damages in the form of skate twists, toe buckling, deformation and separation of the sides were not observed. Damage to new shoes, taking into account the number of fastenings and the number of fixed cars during the time of controlled operation, was 45.6 times less compared to the standard shoes. It is concluded that the new shoes considerably overweigh the serial ones for all technological and operational parameters (weight, strength, reliability of fastening, ease of use, manufacturability, price/quality ratio). At present, the new shoe is fully ready for mass production.

The article suggests a method for visualizing internal defects of parts and units of rolling stock, which is performed by representing defects images on type B and C scans in automated and mechanized ultrasonic testing systems. Methods of defectometry for manual ultrasonic testing by the echo impulse method are considered. Author presents the mathematical apparatus and the algorithm for determining the defect type by a two-frequency defectometry method. A mathematical apparatus and an algorithm are proposed for determining the equivalent sizes of defects of various types, such as point volume and planar defects and extended volume and planar defects. First, the types of defects are determined by a two-frequency method, then using the obtained data and mathematical transformations they are formed and displayed in the output window of the B- and C-scans of the monitored section. Work on the formation of the image of defects is carried out automatically with the help of the NDTRT-14 software developed by the author. The presented methods of defectometry and the software product can be used for ultrasonic inspection of the parts of the carriage section of the rolling stock having a plane-parallel ultrasonic input surface and the bottom surface - treads of wheel-sets of the traction rolling stock (control of the main section from the inner side surface), solid-rolled wheels of cars and locomotives (wheels’ rim and hub control in the axial direction), rolled wheel centers of traction rolling stock (wheels’ rim and hub control in the axial direction), preforms of the driven and driving gears of the traction reducer (control in the axial direction). The software product was successfully introduced into the technological process of ultrasonic control of the elements of the carriage section of the mainline diesel locomotives in the Public Joint Stock Company "Luganskteplovoz".

In view of gradual changes in the conditions of This article presents the main results of the analytical work maintenance, extensiveness and intensity of the use of freight cars aimed at determining the possibility of increasing the period of opof the operational fleet throughout their service life, it is advisable eration of the hopper cars (cement carriers) to three years in the to periodically review between overhaul norms for certain types of framework of the combined criteria for draw them to scheduled cars to ensure a given level of traffic safety and reduce the costs of repairs. maintenance and repair in changed conditions. These analytical works include: - analysis of the structure of the fleet of cement carriers of JSC “Freight One”; - analysis of the operating time of cement carriers in the inter-repair period; - analysis of the types and consequences of failures of cement carriers; - evaluation and comparison of operating conditions of cement carriers and covered wagons operated for three years during the between-repairs period within the framework of the combined criterion; - evaluation of the trend of the change in the average parameter of the flow of failures as they are used in the inter-repair period; - analysis of data from field survey of a group of cement carriers; - an estimation of a technical condition of bolster beams of group of cement carriers on the parameters subject to influence of processes of deterioration; - an estimate of the expected technical and economic effect of changing the calendar periodicity of repair of cement carriers. As a result of the analytical work carried out for cement carriers owned by JSC “Freight One” with inter-repair standards of 110 (160) thousand km/2 years, it was determined the feasibility of approbation of the possibility of increasing the inter-repair time period to three years with the purpose of collecting experimental data on the results of their operation at an increased interval of between-repair operation. The results of approbation of the increased calendar inter-repair standard of cement carriers of the JSC “Freight One” fleet can serve as a basis for considering the possibility of increasing the frequency of planned repairs of the whole aggregate of cement carriers of the operating fleet of joint use of the Commonwealth member states.

The article considers the experience of using contact currents, the carbon strips are intensively heated, causing softening strips from carbon materials in slides of current collectors of elec-of the contact wire and its electroerosive wear. It is proposed to retric locomotives with the purpose of reducing the wear of both the duce the intensity of these phenomena by approximating the eleccontact wire and the current collectors themselves. The electrical trical contact to symmetry. Approximation to the symmetrical eleccontact made of copper and carbon materials from which the strips trical contact of the wire and the slide of the current collector was are made is not symmetrical due to the large differences in their achieved by metallization of the carbon strips. The most effective physical properties. In connection with this, when collecting high insert samples are made by the technology of impregnation of the carbon matrix with copper. Such strips showed high arc resistance and wear resistance as a result of bench tests and operational tests. Experimental operation of electric locomotives with various types of strips was carried out when working on the sections of the Murmansk branch of the October Railway on a constant and then alternating current basis. Numerous studies and operational experience have shown that with a high current load from 1200 to 1800 A, it is economically feasible to use exclusively copper-carbon strips, with lower currents up to 1050 A - purely carbon ones.

The article is devoted to the solution of the actual task of improving the current collector unit of collector traction electric motors of electric locomotives, which currently constitute the overwhelming majority of electric vehicles of the electric rolling stock of Russia. Based on the classical theory of commutation and using O.G. Wegner's idea on the need to establish in advance the current of the switched section equal to the current in the parallel branch of the armature into which it enters, the justification is given for the application of a new design of the sliding contact for collectors of traction motors. The article analyzes the factors accompanying the changed configuration of the brush, such as the current density and heating in a new designed brush, and also reviews comparison of areas of sparkless operation of traction motors with standard and experienced brush holders. Also, the results of operational tests on the North Caucasian Railway of the VL80 electric locomotive no. 1676 are shown, one of the traction engines of which was equipped with experienced brush holders. Experienced brush holders provided a significant reduction in brush wear. On the basis of the conducted studies, it was concluded that the decrease in wear of brushes during the operation of the engine with experienced brush holders is mainly due to a decrease in the influence of mechanical factors on the sparking. During operation, under the influence of mechanical factors, the running edges of the brushes are subject to vibration, and significant current breaks off, which cause an increased spark wear of the brushes. Using the example of a new brush contact configuration, it is shown that the brush contact, namely its design and geometric dimensions, has a significant effect on the nature of current commutation in collector traction motors.

The present article is devoted to the formulation of the problem and the development of a model for the vibration damping properties of the roadbed at the base of the ballast prism’s bottom of normalized thickness, a protective sand cushion and clayey soils under the influence of harmonic oscillations based on physical and chemical mechanics. When analyzing the interaction between the car and the railway, typically the Kelvin - Voigt body is used and the roadbed is represented as a certain adjusted concentrated mass participating in vibrations with sleepers and rails. But this model is inapplicable for layered systems that do not have, in principle, concentrated masses. Such problems can only be solved using the theory of wave processes. In addition, for the occurrence of oscillations in loam it is necessary to have a medium under it reflecting the vertical longitudinal wave. Otherwise, the reverse half-wave will not form, and the compression wave will go deeper and turn into heat in the end. Due to the reflection at the interface of the layered system in each layer, the amplitude and absorption of the energy of the harmonic oscillations will be different from the initial displacement amplitude of the rails. That is, such problems can be solved only using the theory of wave processes. In view of the reflection of deformation waves from the outer surfaces of the sleepers (faces, side surfaces) and their compensation, the task of modeling becomes a one-dimensional.