A new fastener to ensure the reliability of a passenger car body on a train ferry

Abstract

To ensure the strength of the passenger car bodies during transportation on train ferries, it is proposed to mount fastening elements of chain binders on the body bolster beams. The principle of such an element is based on the hydraulic damper operation. The mathematic modelling was conducted in order to determine the dynamic loading on a passenger car body during sea transportation. The study established that the improvements mentioned made it possible to reduce the dynamic loading on the body during sea transportation by 30 % in a comparison with that of a typical fastening scheme. The strength of an improved passenger car body was calculated. The maximum equivalent stresses in the body structure accounted for about 120 MPa, i.e., they did not exceed the admissible values. The conducted research may contribute to ensuring the required strength of passenger car bodies during train ferry transportation, thus leading to a higher operational efficiency of train ferry transportation within the international transportation.