Analysis of Damage to Railway Gondola Bodies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15802/stp2026/355623Keywords:
universal gondola, body, gondola with a solid body, hatch cover, crack, fracture, weld failure, upper side rail, center sill, side wall damageAbstract
Purpose. To conduct a comparative analysis of the technical condition of the bodies of universal and specialized gondolas (with a blind body) owned by state and private operators. To determine the structural elements of the bodies that fail most often and pose a threat to traffic safety. Methodology. The study was conducted using statistical data on failures of universal gondolas owned by JSC «Ukrzaliznytsia» and private operators during operation over the period 2022-2024. For this purpose, data on wagons of various models and different service lives entering scheduled types of maintenance and repair were analyzed. During the study, classical methods of mathematical statistics and the well-known Microsoft Excel application package were used. The analysis made it possible to determine which models of gondolas prevail in the general fleet of cars and to establish which main structural elements of universal gondolas bodies fail most often. Findings. A statistical analysis of failures and damage to the bodies of both universal gondolas and specialized gondolas with a solid body of different models was carried out, taking into account the service life. The results obtained made it possible to compare the technical condition of universal gondolas bodies of different models, as well as to compare the technical condition of universal gondolas and specialized gondolas with a solid body. It was established that the most common types of damage to universal open-top freight wagons include failures of welded joints of vertical posts, damage to the covers of unloading hatches and their locks, cracks and fractures of the vertical sheets of the transverse beams of the frame. Originality. For the first time, a comparative analysis of damage occurrence of different models of gondolas was carried out and the dependence of the number of failures on the service life was determined. Practical value. The results obtained make it possible to determine the directions of development of new technical solutions for improving gondola bodies. Based on the analysis conducted, taking into account the actual technical condition of the gondolas and the level of their damage depending on the model and service life, it is possible to form an improved strategy for restoring the operability of gondolas by optimizing the timing of repairs and maintenance.
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