ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF GONDOLA CAR BODY STRUCTURES

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of promising directions for the development of gondola car body structures. It considers the history of the emergence of gondola cars as a separate type of railway rolling stock. The authors systemise the design of gondola cars and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various designs. The study has shown that the manufacture of the two-axle gondola cars began in the second half of the 19th century. They were designed mainly for transporting coal and iron ore, with their bodies made of wood. Further design improvement led to the appearance of four-axle gondola cars with increased load capacity. Rolled metal began to be used in body structures to improve strength. Particular attention in the article goes to analysing the results of innovative design and technological solutions intended to enhance the efficiency and reliability of body structures. The research indicates that attempts to replace steel with aluminium alloys in manufacturing bodies did not yield results. The reason is the high cost of aluminium and the labour-intensive manufacturing. A promising direction is the use of low-alloy steels 10KhSND and 10KhNDP. For many years, there has been a trend in the railcar-building industry toward producing higher-load gondola cars. It requires increasing the axle load to 25 tons. However, implementing such cars necessitates a substantial restructuring of the railway infrastructure. We consider the design features of innovative domestic gondola cars in detail. The latest technical solutions for the body frame, efficient materials, and components with improved performance have doubled the overhaul mileage. The article analyses the North American experience of gondola car construction and operation. It shows that some models of American gondola cars use longitudinal cylindrical boxes to increase the body volume and reduce the car’s centre of mass. They are on both sides of the girder beam and occupy the space between the carts. Aluminium alloys are also widely used: the frame and lower part of the body are steel, and the side and end walls are aluminium alloy. Keywords: gondola car, body, girder beam, pivot beam, side walls, hatch cover, reliability.