Determining the Possibility of Using Removable Equipment for Transporting 20- and 40-feet-long Containers on an Universal Platform Wagon

An important role in the market of transport services belongs to container transportation. Railroads, especially under the conditions of increased competition from road transport, must respond quickly to the needs of the market and the growing demand for container transportation, including interstate traffic. Demand for container transportation can vary significantly during the year, which testifies to the expediency of introducing removable equipment on universal railroad freight cars that are involved in the deliveries of containers. This paper reports the design of a removable frame structure for a universal platform that could carry two 20-ft or one 40-ft container. The proposed technical solution does not require changes in the structure of the car and changes in its model; with a decrease in the demand for container transportation, it would allow this car to be used for its main purpose. According to the current methodology, the efforts that operate on the frame during the transportation of containers have been determined. The strength of the proposed structure was estimated by a finite-element method. The maximum stresses arising in the proposed structure are 164.4 MPa; they occur in the corners of the stops attached to the stand-up staples of the platform. The resulting stress values do not exceed the allowable ones. The results of calculating the removable equipment indicate its sufficient strength. Requirements for placing cargo on the rolling stock assume a mandatory check to fit the dimensions, which confirmed that the container hosted by the frame does fit them. The proposed structure makes it possible to abandon disposable Fastening parts, improve the safety of container transportation, and increase competitiveness in the container transportation market

Determining the Possibility of Using Removable Equipment for Transporting 20- and 40-feet-long Containers on an Universal Platform Wagon

An important role in the market of transport services belongs to container transportation. Railroads, especially under the conditions of increased competition from road transport, must respond quickly to the needs of the market and the growing demand for container transportation, including interstate traffic. Demand for container transportation can vary significantly during the year, which testifies to the expediency of introducing removable equipment on universal railroad freight cars that are involved in the deliveries of containers. This paper reports the design of a removable frame structure for a universal platform that could carry two 20-ft or one 40-ft container. The proposed technical solution does not require changes in the structure of the car and changes in its model; with a decrease in the demand for container transportation, it would allow this car to be used for its main purpose. According to the current methodology, the efforts that operate on the frame during the transportation of containers have been determined. The strength of the proposed structure was estimated by a finite-element method. The maximum stresses arising in the proposed structure are 164.4 MPa; they occur in the corners of the stops attached to the stand-up staples of the platform. The resulting stress values do not exceed the allowable ones. The results of calculating the removable equipment indicate its sufficient strength. Requirements for placing cargo on the rolling stock assume a mandatory check to fit the dimensions, which confirmed that the container hosted by the frame does fit them. The proposed structure makes it possible to abandon disposable Fastening parts, improve the safety of container transportation, and increase competitiveness in the container transportation market