Improvement of the method of time rationing for assembling car groups on one track

Abstract

Purpose. To improve the method for standardizing the duration of the shunting operation of assembling cars on one track. This can be achieved as a result of solving the following research problems: development of a method for searching the optimal order of assembling cars on one track; distribution parameters estimation of the random value of the duration of shunting operation of assembling cars on one track based on calculation experiments. Methodology. During the research, the methods of theory of railway operation, dynamic programming and mathematical statistics were used. Findings. Research on the assembling process of car group to one track established the distribution parameters of the random variable of time spent for shunting. In the course of the research, the problem of choosing the optimal order of shunting operations during car assembling was formalized and solved as a problem of dynamic programming. The time spent for shunting work was chosen as the optimality criterion. The paper considers the possibility of approximating the data of calculation experiments by analytical dependencies. It was found out that the use of linear polynomials with interaction allows obtaining dependencies describing time standards with a relative accuracy of ±5 %. Originality. The method is improved for developing the time standards for shunting work, which, unlike the existing one, is based on the performance of a series of calculation experiments, each of which solves the optimization problem of finding such an order of assembling cars that ensures minimum time consumption for shunting. Practical value. The methods developed in the work and the dependencies obtained allow improving the quality of decisions made when developing technology and designing railway stations and sidings of industrial enterprises.