INDIAN RAILWAY TECHNICAL BULLETIN

Volume : LXX Number : 348

FEBRUARY - 2014

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Edited and published by:

Executive Director (Administration-I & EMS),
Research Designs and Standards Organisation,
Ministry of Railways,
Manak Nagar, Lucknow-226011
RDSO Website: http://www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in
 CONTENTS
S.No. Articles Author Page

1. An Over View of Track Side Bogie Hamid Akhtar 1

Monitoring System Executive Director/Testing
RDSO, Lucknow

2. Estimation of Maximum Permissible Centre Indrajit Singh 5

of Gravity For 22 T Axle Load Double Executive Director/Carriage
Stack Container Flat BLCAM & BLCBM RDSO, Lucknow
Wagon Using Parametric Vehicle Dynamics Shivendra Singh
Simulation Studies on Nucars Software Director/Carriage (VDG)
RDSO, Lucknow
Shailesh Singh
SSE/Carriage (VDG)
RDSO, Lucknow

3. Design and Optimization of Locomotive Anurag Mishra 10

Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations Jt. Director/Motive Power
RDSO, Lucknow
Vaibhav Batra
Trainee/Thapar University
Patiala

4. Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing D.K. Srivastava 20

on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Director/Testing
Report RDSO, Lucknow

«««
 AN OVER VIEW OF TRACK SIDE BOGIE MONIT
ORING
SYSTEM

Hamid Akhtar
Executive Director/Testing
RDSO, Lucknow

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The problem of hot axle box due to bearing failure is a well-known problem in Railways. Hot axle in
freight wagons and en-route det achments of coaches for Axle Bearing defects is quite frequent. On an
average more than 800 cases of seized axle box of wagons and 75 detachment of coaching stock en-
route have been reported on yearly basis.

Seized axle box rolling stock is a potential reason for derailment too, apart from massive detention even
if these are detected en-route. Added to this, coach det achment is a big embarrassment to Railways'
inconvenience to passengers who have to be evacuated from the culprit coach. This causes loss of
punctuality to many other trains too.

To overcome this problem, condition monitoring of axle box bearing throughrack

T Side Bogie Monitoring
System has been developed by Testing Directorate of RDSO.

1.0 Introduction passengers who have to be evacuated from the culprit

The problem of hot axle box due to bearing failure is a
well-known problem in Railways. Hot axle in freight wagons
and en-route detachments of coaches for Axle Bearing
defects is quite frequent. On an average more than 800
cases of seized axle box of wagons and 75 detachment
of coaching stock en-route have been reported on yearly
basis.
Seized axle box rolling stock is a potential reason for
derailment too, apart from massive detention even if these This includes validation of equipment and even tracing
are detected en-route. Added to this, coach detachment
is a big embarrassment to Railways' inconvenience to
coach. This causes loss of punctuality to many other
trains too.
To overcome this problem, condition monitoring of axle
box bearing throughTrack Side Bogie Monitoring System
has been developed by Testing Directorate of RDSO.
The system has been commissioned near Bakkas station
of Lucknow division (NR) in the year 2010 and put under
extensive field trials. During field trials in the last three
years substantial amount of data has been analyzed.
back derailment and cases of hot axle in freight as well
as coaching trains. Result of the analysis is quite
encouraging as discussed below.

1
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

2.0 Reliability IssuesAddressed: advance action to be taken before the vehicle actually
fails. Conditioned acoustic data of passing bearing are
Addressing of following reliability issues are need of the
acquired by the array of microphones inside the trackside
hour.
cabinet assemblies, is relayed via cables to the computer
2.1 En-route Coach Detachment: in the wayside hut. These data are compared with
signature of Bearing fault data and faults (if any) are
Year No. of Coach Coach diagnosed. The alert signals are sent to all concerned
Detachment detachment through SMS on their mobileand emails, in addition to
(April-Dec i.e due to audio-visual alert in monitoring cell.
9 months) Hot Axle
One of the best features of the system is that it detects
2011-12 70 44 the fault well in advance & adequate time is available to
2012-13 48 22 plan for remedial measures. Detachment of coach,
2013-14 52 23 wagons or Loco en-route is thus completely avoided &
in turn planned replacement at maintenance point is
Yearly Average 76 40 (52%)
resorted. Presently the system is running perfectly well,
2.2 Reported Hot Axle cases of wagons alerting bearing defects of all types of rolling stocks &
remedial measures are being taken in planned fashion.
Year No. of cases reported
This system has many components which include Rail
12-13 953 bearing Acoustic monitor ap art from TBOGIE and Rail
13-14 ( till January'2014) 560 LV system. Here only Rail Bearing Acoustic Monitoring
system is being discussed which has been validated and
Total 1513 cleared for larger adoption. It has robust software which
Yearly Average 825 apart from giving all the reports like instant reports,
trending data, messaging etc, has capability to link WILD
In addition to above, for high speed rolling stock, proactive and other similar monitoring system.
maintenance has to replace preventive maintenance. This
method can optimise maintenance work and reduce
maintenance costs and is more effective for devices
which are subject to sudden failure.
3.0 Present System of Monitoring
l Rolling In-Out with Walkie Talkie
l Hand held contactless thermometer
l Gatemen/SMs and Cabin men apart from Gang
men

Rail Bam system collects acoustic signals from the arrays

of microphones for bearing faults. The data is then
analysed, carriage type identified and correlated with
automatic generated train tag. Signal processing
techniques extract the acoustic signature for each bearing
that is then used to determine the bearing health.

This detects failures in an advanced state and there are

chances when it may go undetected.
4.0 What is TBMS and How does it work
The Trackside Bogie Monitoring System uses wayside 5.0 Proposed Limits for Bearing Defects
detectors to monitor performance of bogies (especially l For freight stock Axle load > 20 tonnes
bearings) & relasy warning signals to the monitoring
stations about abnormal conditions (if any). This enables - RS1_p : 25,000 kms or 1 moth whichever
is earlier

2
 An over view of T rack side Bogie Monitoring system

- RS1_n/m/r : 15,000 kms or 2 weeks whichever to hot axle. Severe level fault was diagnosed in this coach
is earlier on 10th and 26th March. Had this been aken
t seriously,
Coach detachment could have been saved.
l For coaching stock:
7.0 Locomotive fault diagnosed and saved from
- RS1_p : 25,000 kms or 4 weeks whichever
major embarrassment
is earlier
7.1 WDM3A 18918 of Ludhiana diagnosed thrice on
- RS1_n/m/r : 15,000 kms or 2 weeks whichever
11th April, 2nd May and 24th June 2013. On
is earlier
checking at Ludhiana Shed the bearing was
5.0 Summary of faults identified by the system in found to be defective
Freight Stock

6.0 Efficacy of the system

7.2 Loco no 16225 after alert on 8.8.l2 was detached
Efficacy of the system has been established beyond doubt by Itarsi Shed and found Electric burn when
as a large number of alerts have been verified & accuracy checked at Charbagh
level was found to be more than 90% for severe nature of
fault. During validation a total of 58 wagons, 05 coaches
and 01 loco were reported to have defective Axle box
bearing since these were cross checked and found that
more than 90% of the detection is genuine.
The system has been appreciated by all concerned
especially Chief Mechanical Engineer& Chief Rolling
Stock Engineer of Northern Railway . Continuous
improvement & intense follow up has led to development
of a reliable equipment of condition monitoring of bearing
which saves precious resources.
Had these wagons, coaches & Loco not been detached,
they could have failed en-route leading to havoc in safety/
reliability/operation of trains?
8.0 Hot Axle of W agons that was alerted by the
6.1 Derailment that could have been saved: Train system
no.Up KNZ special derailed on 20.7.2011 at Fursat ganj
station of Lucknow division. 10 wagons were capsized.
During enquiry it was concluded that seized Axl box of
Wagon no. NR BOXN 93224 was reason of the derailment.
The wagon had passed Bakkas TBMS on 13.7.2011 and
had given high level alert. It was under trial and procedure
was being developed then. Had the alert been taken
seriously and wagon detached, derailment could have
been saved.
6.2 Coach detachment that could have been
avoided
Coach no. NR GS 12488 of train no. 14013 (Sadbhavna)
detached at UTR (LKO) next to Bakkas on 29.3.2013 due

3
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin
9.0 Financial Benefits
Even one case of saving of derailment as in the case of
Up KNZ special attributed directly to Axle Box seizure,
will give huge savings in terms of cost of wagons thrown,
consequential damages, restoration cost of men &
material and opportunity loss (path not available for freight Railway Board nominated committee consisting of five
trains) cost. In case of the above direct case of derailment Directors of Design and Testing Directorates to evaluate
could have saved Rs 210 Lakhs which excludes
restoration cost for which figure couldn't be taken.
Apart from the above, savings from reduced maintenance
of Axle Box bearing from 1.5 % during ROH to 0.93 %
(condition based) as per data collected in previous years
will reduce cost and improve reliability thus further savings
expected from lesser Coach/wagon/Loco detachments.
10.0 Constraints
l Vehicle Identification in the absence of RFID
l Identifies only certain type of bearing defects
(Running surface defects: rollers, cup, cone)
which generate a sufficient acoustic signal
l Confidence of fault detection
- Severe faults: Good detection, >90%
«««
4
February- 2014
- Moderate faults: Satisfactory detection, ~80%
- Minor faults: Detection with reduced confidence,
>50%
11.0 Present status
TBMS installed at Bakkas with a view to examine all
aspects pertaining to adoption of this system on a larger
scale. The Committee has recommended for adoption of
RailBAM system though it requires Automatic V ehicle
Identification for utilization of Full Potential of the System.
The site selection is to be done by Railway Board in
consultation with concerned Railways and present system
of visual inspection of hot axle by staff has been
recommended to be continued.
For the current system tender for 03 years of
Comprehensive AMC of RailBAM is being finalized.
Procedure order for monitoring and detachment has been
finalized and sent to Railway Board and Northern Railway.
Railway Board has been requested for transferring the
project to LKO division of NR in view of logical conclusion
of the project successfully.
 ESTIMATION OF MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CENTRE OF
GRAVITY FOR 22 TAXLE LOAD DOUBLE STACK
CONTAINER FLAT BLCAM & BLCBM WAGON USING
PARAMETRIC VEHICLE DYNAMICS SIMULA TION STUDIES
ON NUCARS SOFTWARE

Indrajit Singh Shivendra Singh Shailesh Singh

Executive Director/Carriage Director/Carriage (VDG) SSE/Carriage (VDG)
RDSO, Lucknow RDSO, Lucknow RDSO, Lucknow

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KEYWORDS: okgu xfr'khyrk fleqys'ku] NUCARS l‚¶Vos;j] lokjh lwpdkad] xq#Rokd"kZ.k dk dsaæ]
Mcy LVSd daVsuj ,oa LCCF cksxh
The Indian Railway have a loop length of 686 meter which restrains , movement of freight trains with a
high trailing load. The full potential of Indian Railway Broad gauge (BG) needs to be exploited, with
wagon designs that ensure loading to higher height s ,without compromising track train safety. To develop
such wagon designs, it is imperative to estimate the maximum permissible centre of gravity (CG) for
freight stocks on Broad Gauge of Indian railway . The objective of this work is hence to identify
, maximum
permissible CG of 22T axle load double stack container flat BLCAM & BLCBM wagon fitted with LCCF
20(C)Bogie ,using parametric simulation over Indian Railway operating conditions with overall objective
of safe train operations in line with 3rd Criteria Committee Report.

KEYWORDS: Vehicle Dynamics Simulation, NUCARS Sof tware, Ride Index, Centre of Gravity , Double Stack
Container &LCCF Bogie

1. Introduction fitted with LCCF 20(C)Bogie. Computer simulation runs

were carried out up to maximum test speed of 90,100 &
The Vehicle Dynamics Group under Carriage Directorate,
110 kmph under loaded conditions of the vehicle on
RDSO has successfully developed the computer Vehicle
representative mainline 20 curve tracks of Indian Railway
Dynamics Simulation Model of 22T
axle load Double S
tack
track with Super elevation of 165 mm & 185 mm.
Container flat BLCAM (A-CAR) & BLCBM (B-CAR) wagon

5
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin
Based on the computer simulation results using NUCARS
Software p ackage, the Double S tack Cont ainer flat
BLCAM (A-CAR) wagon fitted with LCCF 20(C)Bogie
has exhibited acceptable riding and stability performance
with maximum permissible centre of gravity (excluding
bogie) of wagon up to 2500 mm from Rail level with
simulation run speed of 90 kmph and available cant of
165 mm under loaded conditions of vehicle on normal
mainline 20 curve track.
Double S tack Container flat BLCBM (B-CAR) wagon
has exhibited acceptable riding and stability performance
with maximum permissible centre of gravity (excluding
bogie) of wagon up to 2350 mm from Rail level with
simulation run speed of 90 kmph and available cant of
165 mm under loaded conditions of vehicle on normal
mainline 20 curve track.
Fig. :-1 BLCAM WAGON
Fig: - 2 BLCBM WAGON
Fig :-3 22T axle load LCCF 20(C) Bogie
6
February- 2014
2.0 METHOD OF CONDUCTING SIMULATIONS
2.1 STATIC CONSIDERATIONS -- AAR 1/3rd RULE
In the static condition ,Safe curving operation of container
wagons defined by AAR 1/3 rd rule,by computing the
maximum Centre of Gravity allowable that keeps the
vertical force of the container weight stable in static
condition on curved track. In order to compute the
maximum allowable Centre of Gravity , the maximum
experienced superelevation ( cant) and track gauge must
be known.
The following formula is used for computing maximum
Center of Gravity:
Max. CG = (T rack Gauge) 2
/ (6 x Maximum
Superelevation)
Accordingly Max. Centre of Gravity height of wagon on
Broad Gauge track with 165 mm superelevation (Cant)
( as per IRPWM Section 406(1)(i)). = 3065 mm approx.
And Max. Centre of Gravity height of wagon on BG with
18 5 mm cant = 2733 mm approx.
* BG track = 1742 mm ( centre to centre)
2.2 DYNAMICS CONSIDERATIONS
In dynamic conditions, maximum Centre of Gravity of
wagon can be determined by simulation run of wagon
with different speeds on curved track with different super
elevations and simultaneously varying the Center of
Gravity height till the container wagons Side Bearer lifts
off the side-bearing during curving. The super elevation
and CG height are the two main factors controlling the
rotation of the containers during curving. Side-bearing
lift-off is related to the development of high lateral forces
at the wheel/rail interface and thus is taken as an
indication of Unsafe and unstable equilibirium during
Dynamic situations.
Fig-4 Dynamic forces developed during curving«««
2.3 Development of vehicle model
Vehicle related inputs viz. mass and moment of inertia of
heavy bodies with primary and secondary suspension
characteristics under tare and gross load conditions were
calculated to develop the computer model of the vehicle.
Space co-ordinates of all connections between heavy
Estimation of Maximum Permissible Centre of Gravity For 22 T Axle Load Double S tack Container Flat BLCAM
& BLCBM Wagon Using Parametric V ehicle Dynamics Simulation S tudies on Nucars Sof tware
bodies were clearly defined with respect to a point located
at middle of track on the front axle at rail/wheel contact
level. The non linear suspension characteristics are
defined as a piecewise linear curve in the form of ordinate
and absissa These are some of the dominant properties
as regards to the vehicle related inputs which are given
as a system file in a proper manner and compatible
format.
2.4 Track Inputs
Measured mainline 2 0 curve track of BAREILL Y-
MORADABAD section of Indian Railway with normal track
perturbation with Superelevation (Cant) of 165 mm & 185
mm has been used to generate track (.TRK) file. The
track that has been used for conducting simulation studies
gives a fairly good representation of the actual track.
Fig :- 5 curved track with 185 mm cant
Fig. :-6 curved track with 165 mm cant
2.5 Rail /Wheel Contact Geometry
The rail/wheel contact geometry file has been generated
by using NUCARS tool CFIT/WRCON wheel /Rail input
Generator with worn wheel profile of wagon Drg. No.
WD-88021 and standard 60 kg Rail profile of Broad
Gauge (BG) of Indian Railway , which is used in
conducting the simulation studies.
2.6 Simulation Runs And Raw Data Analysis
The simulation runs have been given on 20 curve track
of 700 Meter length with 90,100 & 1 10 Kmph with
Superelevation (Cant) of 185 mm & 165 mm.These
7
runs were given for vehicle under loaded conditions for
Double Stack Container flat BLCAM & BLCBM wagon
with different Centre of gravity (CG) height.
3.0 The above results are discussed as under
3.1 Vertical Ride Index
The Maximum vertical ride index in the BLCAM wagon
(A CAR) is found 4.01 at 110 kmph on 2 degree curved
track with 165 mm cant & 4.0 at 110 kmph on 2 degree
curved track with 185 mm cant under Loaded conditions.
The Maximum vertical ride index in the BLCBM wagon
(B CAR) is 3.18 at 90 kmph on 2 degree curved track
with 165 mm cant & 2.97 at 1 10 kmph on 2 degree
curved track with 185 mm cant under Loaded conditions.
Maximum Vertical Ride Index is within the limit in all cases
of evaluation of Maximum Centre of Gravity of A CAR &
B CAR at different speeds.
3.2 Lateral Ride Index
The Maximum Lateral ride index in the BLCAM wagon
(A CAR) is 3.95 at 110 kmph on 2 degree curved track
with 165 mm cant & 3.84 at 100 kmph on 2 degree
curved track provided with 185 mm cant under Loaded
conditions.
The Maximum Lateral ride index in the BLCBM wagon
(B CAR) is 3.74 at 100 kmph on 2 degree curved track
with 165 mm cant & 3.74 at 100 kmph on 2 degree
curved track with 185 mm cant under Loaded conditions.
Maximum Lateral Ride Index is within the limit in all case
of evaluation of Maximum Centre of Gravity of A CAR &
B CAR at different speeds.
3.3 Derailment coefficient & HY2m (Prud'homme
Limit)
Value of Derailment coefficient (L/V Ratio) is less than 1
&that of HY2m is within the limit (71989 N) in all cases
of Maximum Centre of Gravity of A CAR & B CAR at
different speeds.
3.3.1 Simulation results of BLCAM ( A-CAR)
Table-1
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

3.3.2 Simulation results of BLCBM ( B-CAR)

Table-2
* Filter of 0.4 to 10 Hz BUTTER WORTH.
* Band pass Filter of 0.4 to 10 Hz .
Graph no. 4
SB Lift off With 185 mm superelevation( cant)
2degree curve at 100 Kmph different Centre of
Gravity Height

Graph no. 5
SB Lift off With 185 mm superelevation( cant)
Graph No. 1 2degree curve at 110 Kmph different CG Height

Graph No. 2
Graph no. 6
Side-Bearing Lift off at different speed(90,100 & 110
Kmph) With different CG Height ( 2150 mm, 2300
mm & 2450 mm)& 185 mm superelevation)
4.0 CONCLUSION & SUMMARY
Based on the computer simulation results using NUCARS
software on Double S tack Cont ainer flat BLCAM (A-
CAR) & BLCBM ( B-CAR) wagon fitted LCCF 20(C)Bogie
Graph no. 3 in loaded conditions on normal main line straight and 20
curve track, with 165mm & 185 mm superelevatiion ,
SB Lift off With 185 mm superelevation( cant) the conclusions made are as under-
2degree curve at 90 Kmph different Centre of Gravity
Height (a) NUCARS simulation results indicate that the Ride
in both vertical and lateral mode is expected to be
satisfactory up to SB lift off in each case.
(b) Derailment coefficient & HY2M is within the limit
up to SB lift off in each case.
(c) Maximum permissible Centre of Gravity in different

8
Estimation of Maximum Permissible Centre of Gravity For 22 T Axle Load Double S tack Container Flat BLCAM
& BLCBM Wagon Using Parametric V ehicle Dynamics Simulation S tudies on Nucars Sof tware
case based on Side Bearer Lift Off Conditions is all necessary safety precautions as required during the
as follows. Double Stack Containers operations must be t aken as
per RDSO Speed Certificate no. MW/SPD/BG/CONTR/
5.0 Summary of NUCARS simulation is given
DOUBLE ST ACK/22.0t Dated 12-1 1-2007 first
below:
Amendment dated 16.01.2008 , second Amendment
dated 24-02-2010.
6.0 References
1. RDSO Reports MT-334
2. RDSO S peed Certificate No. MW/SPD/BG/
CONTR/DOUBLE STACK/22.0t Dated 12-11-2007
first Amendment dated 16.01.2008 , second
Amendment dated 24-02-2010.
3. IRPWM Section 406(1)(i))
4. RDSO CRR Reports No. RDSO/2013/CG/CRR-06
5. Wagon Nucars Dat a letter No. MW/NUCARS
Dated 02/07/2013
6. BLCAM Drawing No. CONTR.-05076-S/3
7. LCCF20(c ) Bogie Drawing No. WD-07067-S/1
8. RDSO Spring Detail Drawing No. CONTR-9404-
S/7
9. RDSO CENTRE PIVOT& SBASSEMBLY Drawing
No. CONTR-9404-S/8
10. RDSO WEDGE Drawing No. CONTR-9404-S/6
The above values are calculated values on the basis of
Vehicle Dynamics Simulations over Doubles S tack 11. RDSO MODIFIED ELASTOMERIC PAD Drawing
Containers (BLCAM & BLCBM) on 2 degree curve track No. WD-95005/S-1
.However, Final allowed maximum Centre of Gravity value
12. RDSO CAST STEEL BOLSTER Drawing No.
in operation may be decided by Wagon directorate and
CONTR-9404-S/5

«««

9
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF LOCOMOTIVE WHEEL

PROFILE FOR HIGH SPEED OPERATIONS

Anurag Mishra Vaibhav Batra

Jt. Director/Motive Power Trainee/Thapar University
RDSO, Lucknow Patiala

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dM+kbZ ls vuqikyu rFkk fo;j de djds b"Vrehdj.k dks bu miyfC/k;ksa esa 'kkfey dj fy;k x;k gSA

vR;f/kd b"Vrehd`r izksQ+kby ¼vkmViqV ds ekeys esa½ dks ^^fMt+kbu v/;;u izLrkfor izksQ+kby** ds :Ik
esa viuk;k tk pqdk gSA u, izksQ+kby esa ekbYM doZ ds izHkkodkjh usxksfl,'ku rFkk LVªsV jsy iFkksa ij
fLFkjrk nksuksa izkIr gksrh gSaA mPphd`r xfr;ksa ij b"Vrehd`r izksQ+kby dk ysVjy ,Dlhyjs'ku] MªsyesaV
baMsDl rFkk ysVjy QkslZ baMsDl orZeku ifjpkyu xfr;ksa ij fo|eku izksQkby dh rqyuk esa de gSA

This report proposes an optimized wheel profile for diesel locomotives for high speed operations.
Theoretical wheel profiles were designed and the same were used for simulation study using MSCADAMS
VI - RAIL. The tangent track and curved track simulations were performed at 200km/h and 175km/h
respectively.

Assessment and review of different profiles was made by evaluating acceleration, derailment index,
lateral force index, ride index and wear number. The approach of optimization incorporated achievement
of tangential stability, effective curve negotiation, adherence to safety parameters and minimizing wear.

The most optimized profile (in respect to the output) has been adopted as a 'design study proposed
profile'. The new profile delivers both stability on straight tracks and effective negotiation of mild curves.
The Lateral acceleration, Derailment index and Lateral Force index of optimized profile at upgraded
speeds are less than that of existing profile at current operating speeds.

1.0 Introduction Another definition is 'Semi-high-speed' (or High Speed)

for operations at 160-200km/h. Different regions have
High Speed Rail System is a relative term, which constitute
their own underst anding of the term "High S peed" and
the "system" i.e. infrastructure, rolling stock and
thus its use is diverse.
operating conditions.
Indian Railways has drawn up a draft plan for operating
According to UIC (International Union of Railways) "high-
semi-high-speed services along parts of the so-called
speed train" is a train that runs at over 250 km/h on
Golden Rail Corridor linking some of India's main cities.
dedicated tracks or over 200 km/h on upgraded
A number of companies, including Japanese and French,
conventional tracks.
have offered to provide the technology.

10
 Design And Optimization Of Locomotive Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations

The first project of building a dedicated high speed

corridor is the 650km Pune - Mumbai - Ahmedabad, is
estimated to cost Rs 700bn.
2.0 WHEEL/RAIL INTERACTION
Wheels and rails are important elements of the railway
vehicle-track system; they not only bear the load from
the rolling stock to the ground, but they also guide the
rolling stock along a track. The railway train running along
a track is one of the most complicated dynamical systems
in engineering. Many bodies comprise the system and
so it has many degrees of freedom. The bodies that make
up the vehicle can be connected in various ways and a 5.0 BACKGROUND
moving interface connects the vehicle with the track. This
When designing and optimizing a rail vehicle there is a
interface involves the complex geometry of the wheel tread
contradiction between, on the one hand, stability on
and the rail head and non-conservative frictional forces
straight track at high speed and, on the other hand,
generated by relative motion in the contact area.
reasonable wheel and rail wear in small- and medium
The wheel and rail cross-sectional shapes define not only radius curves. Higher speeds require to some extent stiffer
the kinematical and dynamical properties of the wheelset wheelset guidance to avoid hunting and ensure stability.
but also the physical properties such as contact stresses,
However , with stif fer wheelset guidance the risk of
creep and wear. Therefore, an ill-designed combination
increased wheel and rail wear in curves is imminent.
of wheel and rail profiles can be a source of various
railway problems such as high wear rate of the wheels, Typically, a wheel profile was designed using a trial and
instability (hunting) of a wheelset as well as rolling contact error approach. A choice of a wheel cross-sectional
fatigue defects of the rails. These problems on their turn shape was mostly based on a designer intuition and
lead to cost inefficiency and a compromise in safety in experience as well as using some measurement data.
exploitation. Smith and Kalousek developed a numerical procedure
for design of a wheel profile described by a series of
The interaction between wheel and rail is a very
arcs.
complicated nonlinear element in the railway system.
Wheel and rail geometries, involving both cross sectional 6.0 WHEEL PROFILE TERMINOLOGY
profiles and geometry along the moving direction with
varying shapes due to wear, have a significant effect on
vehicle dynamic performance and operating safety.
Due to the fact that rail replacement is much more
expensive than wheel replacement, and that wheels are
more frequently reprofiled, it would appear more attractive
to design a new wheel profile to fit an existing rail profile.
3.0 MSC ADAMS - VI RAIL
VI-Rail, part of the VI-Grade suite of software and based Flange Angle: Maximum angle of the flange face relative
on the industry standard multi-body dynamics code MSC to horizontal axis.
Adams, is a specialized environment for railway virtual Tread Taper: From flange root to tread end.
prototyping. VI-Rail creates catalogues, and analyses
Flange Height: Distance from the flange tip to the tread
railway vehicle dynamics. It is simulation software for
tapping line.
rail vehicle dynamics and works with graphic user
interface. This simulation software provides the virtual Flange Thickness:Thickness of the flange at a particular
prototype environment for building rail vehicle model and height, i.e. 13mm for IR.
to simulate the model for dynamic performance.
Flange-way Clearance: It is the wheel lateral shift limit
Using VI-Rail, you can build and alter running gears, relative to the rail prior to the wheel climb.
car body and accessory subsystems, and complete
Co = (G - B - 2*f) / 2, where
railway vehicles. The performance can be observed at
design stage before manufacturing of vehicle. Co = flange-way clearance

4.0 EXISTING PROFILE G = Gauge

The existing wheel profile of WDP4 locomotive of India

Railways is SK.DL - 2561 Alteration8.

11
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

The equivalent conicity ge is determined for a certain

lateral displacement y = y. For the conical wheel profile
Dr(y) is a linear function and the conicity ge = g is
constant and independent from the displacement y.

Creepage: Relative velocity between an undeformed

material particle on rail and one on the wheel in the
B = Wheel Back to Back spacing defined contact point is called slip. Creepages are
defined as normalized rigid slip in the plane of contact.
(Distance between the flanges back of two wheels)
Apart from weight both rail and wheel distort during
f = Wheel flange thickness
acceleration and braking and even when side forces are
Contact Angle: The angle of the plane of cont act between applied (during curving). These tangential forces cause
the wheel and rail relative to the track plane. distortion by first coming in contact and then followed by
Angle of Attack: The angle a region of slippage. Thus mix of elastic distortion and
(Y ) between the axis of local slipping is called Creepage.
rotation of the wheelset and a Longitudinal & Lateral Creepage = VTangential - VCircumferential
radial line in a curve or a line
Spin Creepage = Velocity of yaw angle (Y ).
perpendicular to the track
centerline on tangent track. Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF): Crack growth and
material damage generated as a result of high loads
Wheelset Lateral Shift: The lateral
transmitted between two surfaces rolling relative to each
displacement (y) of the wheelset
other. In the case of railway wheel/rail cont act high
center relative to the track centerline.
compressive forces are generated as well as shear forces
Conicity: Change in radius of the which are the vector sum of the traction and braking of
wheels as a function of lateral shift the wheel (in longitudinal direction), and steering forces
of the wheelset relative to the track generated as the wheel negotiates a piece of track (in
is known as conicity. Thus a 1:20 coned wheelset has a lateral direction).
conocity of 0.05.
6.0 BASICS OF WHEELSET & TRACK
Rolling Radius Difference: INTERACTION
When wheelset centre is
6.1 Kinematics on straight track
displaced for quantity Dy,
then the rolling radii due to In the absence of large track irregularities, the dynamics
conicity of the wheels will be of a railway vehicle on a straight track mainly depend on
different for the right and left the stability of vehicle motion. S
tability of running vehicles
wheels, creating rolling radii is one of the important design criteria for railway and
difference (RRD); Dr = r1 - r2 . An inst ant aneous road vehicles. Railway vehicle stability is based on
difference between the rolling radius of the right and the kinematics, as well as on contact mechanics.
left wheel can be defined as a function of lateral Stability means that for a slight lateral displacement or
displacement y of a wheelset with respect to its central yaw angle, the wheelset moves back into its central
position. position with a damped oscillatory parasitic motion. The
Equivalent Conicity: For a coned wheelset motion is considered to be unstable if, for some
wheelset the equivalent conicity is small irregularity, an excited vibration takes place, such
simply the cone angle of the tread. that the maximum amplitude increase and the oscillating
For a wheelset with worn or profiled parasitic motion is finally restricted only by wheel flange
treads the equivalent conicity is contact.
defined as that cone angle which for
Due to the lateral displacement (y) and yaw angle ( y ),
purely coned wheels would produce
the kinematic oscillations above a critical speed become
the same wavelength of kinematic oscillation and is
unstable. This is known as'Hunting' and the velocity as
approximately equal to the mean slope out to the amplitude
'Critical Hunting Speed'. The operation speed is below
in question.
this speed. Hunting may lead to damage or derailment.
Equivalent conicity provides a quantitative measure of
6.2 Kinematics on curved track
the influence of wheel/rail interaction on running quality.
Railway vehicles use one of two methods to negotiate

12
 Design And Optimization Of Locomotive Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations

curved sections of track. Shallow curves are negotiated
with lateral wheelset displacement, which produces a
difference in the rolling radii of the right and left wheels,
and generates a turning motion. For sharper curves, the
bogies use wheel flange contact to generate large wheel/
rail contact forces, and to increase the turning moments
about their centers of gravity.
Conical shape (taper toward the outside of the track) of
wheels and lateral movement of the wheelsets creates
the rolling radii difference that allows the wheelsets to
roll through the curve. This, in turn, causes a difference
in wheel velocities, and leads to yawing of that wheelset.
As the curvature increases, the wheelset displaces more
and generates a larger difference of the wheel radii,
increasing the rate of yaw rotation. The yaw rotation rate,
and hence the curvature that the wheelset can smoothly
roll through, is limited by the maximum wheel radii
difference.
Beyond a certain curvature, flange contact occurs. This
generates a large wheel/rail contact force and increases 7.2
the magnitude of the bogie turning moment. This additional
moment increases the bogie yaw rate, allowing it to
negotiate the tighter curve. The magnitudes of the flange
contact forces increase with increasing curvature, first
causing rail damage and eventually leading to the wheels
climbing the rail.
6.3 Wear & Safety
During operation of the rolling stock on the railways the
contact surfaces of wheels and rails wear out. Wear of
wheels and rails can lead to undesirable changes in their
cross-sections (profiles), and consequently to changes
in contact properties, which are followed by increased
wear rates, vehicle instability at operational speeds, and
RCF.
The level of wear at the wheel and rail surface is indicated
by the energy dissipated in the contact patch; this is
calculated by taking the product of creepage and creep
force.
Safety requirements consist of prevention of derailment
due to wheels climbing over the rail, and to fracture of
the wheel and/or rail.
7.0 CONTACT THROUGH WHEEL/RAIL ELEMENT
The wheel-rail element always describes kinematics of
one wheel relative to one rail. In
ADAMS/RAIL three types
of elements are derived from this element. These derived
elements differ in the way they handle kinematics:
7.1 An element that uses pre-calculated nonlinear
kinematic functions as input
This element uses actual wheel and rail profile but
it approximates the contact patch through an
ellipse, uses a constant value for contact patch
stiffness, and currently models only one contact
point for each wheel/rail interconnection. As a
result of these approximations this contact element
is very efficient from the computational point of
view, but the results are not highly accurate.
An element that uses wheel and rail profile as
input
This element uses actual wheel and rail profile and
computes the actual contact kinematics at each
simulation step. Allows for multiple contact points,
evaluates the local contact stiffness based on
geometry and materials properties, consider the
effect of nonlinear contact patches and evaluates
the contact line taking into account the effect of
the wheel/rail angle of attack (pseudo 3D contact).
This element gives the most accurate description
of the wheel/rail contact kinematic, still remaining
quite efficient in computational effort.
7.3 A linearized element with kinematics described
by conicity , cont act angle, and roll angle
parameter
The actual wheel and rail profile are NOT used
when selecting this type of contact, which should
only be used to perform stability analysis.

Wear has a deteriorative effect on vehicle dynamics. The most general case is working directly with the wheel
Hollow wear of the tread part of the wheel induces wheelset and rail profiles i.e. the second element. Computation of
instability on straight track; however , hollow wear can contact forces is divided in the following tasks:
increase ef fective conicity, thereby influencing curving A. Computation of contact line on wheel
behavior. Flange and flange root wear reduce rolling radii,
which increases creepage of the wheels in curves. In The contact between wheel and rail is solved as a two-
contrast, hunting on straight track, and flange contact in dimensional problem using the Heumann theory.
curves increase the wear rate of wheels and rails, causing B. Computation of contact patch
changes to wheel and rail profiles, which in turn
The contact line is transformed into coordinate system
influences vehicle dynamics.
and an undeformed penetration between rail and contact
The development of rolling contact fatigue in rails depends line is searched for . If an ellip se is computed, half
on the relationship between crack growth, which is diameter 'b' in the lateral direction is equal to the lateral
governed by contact stress and the tangential force at width. Half diameter 'a' is computed assuming ellipse has
the contact patch, and wear, which depends on angential
t the same area. The contact point is the center of area.
force (again) and creepage at the contact patch.

13
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

C. Computation of normal force in contact patch at surface and Coulomb's Law.

The normal force in the contact area is computed using
the Hertz theory for a given ellipse with undeformed
penetration.
Hertz Contact Theory:
If two elastic nonconforming bodies contact together then,
according to the Hertz, the contact area is elliptical in
shape with a
major semi-axis
'a' and a minor
semi-axis 'b'.
The distribution
of the contact
pressure in this
elliptical area
represents a
semi-ellipsoid,
which can be
expressed as:
Here, the ori gin of the coordinate system is located at
the contact center, which is the initial contact point; Po is
the largest contact pressure, which appears at the contact
center; the x-axis extends along the major axis, and the
y-axis along the minor axis. The values of P o, a and b
depend both on the external normal compressive force F
perpendicular to the initial tangent plane and on the
geometry of the contacting bodies near the contact region.
Hertz assumed that the profiles of the contacting bodies
near the contact region can be described by quadratic
surfaces.
The maximum contact pressure Po and external normal
compressive force F are related by a 1/3-power law, Po
is proportional F 1/3.
D. Computation of creepages
E. Computation of creep forces
The creep-force computation is based on Johnson and
Kalker theory. Creep forces are computed as function
of creepages.
There are two contact theory code of Kalker:
l CONTACT
l FASTSIM
CONTACT is the exact theory and is based on Hooke's
Law and Friction Law of Coulomb. F ASTSIM is the
simplified theory and is based on the theory that
displacement is directly proportional to tangential traction
The methodology of CONT ACT takes very long time while
the first assumption of F ASTSIM imp airs its accuracy.
The computation of second type Wheel /Rail element is
based on FASTSIM.
F. Computation of transformation of contact
forces.
8.0 OPTIMIZATION PROCEDURE
The choice of appropriate equivalent conicity is critical.
The equivalent conicity of the wheel/rail pair should be
minimized to increase the critical speed of the vehicle.
At Region A the conicity should be as low as possible (or
may be conformal contact) to reduce wear. For passing
curves, the required rolling radii difference should be
available and the wheel must be able to provide this RRD,
for which an increase in the equivalent conicity is
required.
Flange angle should be increased so as to increase the
flange-way clearance. Decrease in conicity also results
in increase in flange-way clearance. Increasing the
flange-way clearance would increase the yaw rotation
rate and would aid in negotiating curves.
Tangentially it should be a single point cont
act but during
curving the contact at the flange root should be conformal.
The contact patch should be large so as to lower the
energy dissipated per unit area which could be achieved
by conformal contact.
A limit on minimum flange angle is applied to address
wheel climb phenomena (Nadal's formula). A limit on
contact forces is dealt with the fracture of the wheels
and rails.
Some wear is however, seen as beneficial, as it removes
small cracks that develop through rolling contact. A very
low level of wear is also undesirable, as it probably
indicates that wear is taking place over a very limited
section of the profile.
As a result, requirements for high speed stability on
straight track and good curving with safe negotiation of
track irregularities are contradictory
. The wheel/rail profile
combination must be selected to give the best
compromise for the conditions under which the vehicle
will operate.
The following approach was adopted to optimize the
profile:

14
 Design And Optimization Of Locomotive Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations

9.0 DIMENSIONAL CONSTRAINTS

10.0 RESULTS 10.1 New Profile

Theoretical wheel profiles were designed and the same
were used for simulation study . Numerous simulations
were performed and the most optimized profile (in respect
to the output) has been adopted as a 'design study
proposed profile'.
In "new profile" the conicity is reduced to increase the
critical velocity and improve st ability and ride quality .
The area of contact patch is also increased to dissipate
less energy per unit area. Reduction in conicity also
contributes to increase in flange-way clearance.
The Flange angle is increased to increase flange-way 10.2 SK.DL. - 2561 v/s New Profile
clearance and to reduce the flange climb derailment.
Transition from conical part to flange root has been made
more conformal so as to increase the stability and ride
quality during curving.
The flange root radius is kept the same as a compromise
between smooth transition from conical part and
conformal contact between the flange root and rail corner
radius.

15
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

11 OUTPUTS
Tangent Track Output

l Acceleration outputs are the absolute maximum

and Wear Numbers are the average values of their
respective plots.

l Calculations of Y/Q Index, Hy2m, Ride Index and

Wear Number are with respect to (left wheel)
leading wheelset front bogie.

11.1 Plots
Figure 2

Figure 3
Figure 1

16
 Design And Optimization Of Locomotive Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations

Figure 1: Lateral Acceleration Front Bogie

Figure 2: Lateral Acceleration Rear Bogie
Figure 3: Vertical Acceleration Front Bogie
Figure 4: Vertical Acceleration Rear Bogie

Figure 4

11.2 Curve Track Output

l Acceleration outputs are the absolute maximum l Calculations of Y/Q Index, Hy2m, Ride Index and
and Wear Numbers are the average values of their Wear Number are with respect to (left wheel)
respective plots. leading wheelset rear bogie.

17
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

11.3 Additional Parameters

l Ellipse parameters are RMS and rest are absolute

maximum values of their respective plots.

l Parameters are calculated at leading wheelset front

bogie for tangential simulations and leading
wheelset rear bogie for curve track simulations

11.4 Plots
Figure 2

Figure 1 Figure 3

18
 Design And Optimization Of Locomotive Wheel Profile For High Speed Operations
Figure 1: Longitudinal Creep Force (Tangent Track)
Figure 2: Lateral Creep Force (Tangent Track)
Figure 3: Normal Force (Tangent Track)
12.0 CONCLUSION
The results of the dynamic simulation have shown that
the performance of railway vehicle is improved at higher
13.0 REFERENCES
l ADAMS/Rail (2012) MSC.Software Corporation
MSC.ADAMS®
l TCRP Report 71, V olume 5, Flange Climb
Derailment Criteria and Wheel/Rail Profile
Management and Maintenance Guidelines for
Transit Operations
«««
19
velocities using the optimized profile. The optimized profile
delivers both stability on straight tracks and effective
negotiation of mild curves. The Lateral acceleration,
Derailment index and Lateral Force index of optimized
profile at upgraded speeds are less than that of existing
profile at current operating speeds. Following are the
output values of the optimized profile and their permissible
values:
l Iwnicki, S. (2006), Handbook of Railway V ehicle
Dynamics
l Report No. MT- 334 (2002), A Technical Guide on
Oscillation Trials, Testing Directorate, RDSO
Lucknow
l Shevt sov, I.Y . (2008), Wheel Rail Interface
Optimization
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

PROCEDURE ADOPTED FOR FATIGUE TESTING ON

"FAB-II BOGIE FRAME":A TECHNICAL REPORT

D.K. Srivastava
Director/Testing
RDSO, Lucknow

esllZ osn lklkssesdskfudk] dkuiqj }kjk fueZr ,d ,Q-,-ch&AA] cksxh Qzsu (MCyw Mh-Ih&4 gsrq Lons'kh
QSczhdsVsM cksxh Qzse ) igyh ckj Jkarh ijh{k.k iz;ksx'kkyk esa fnukad 01-11-2012 dks Mh-,e MCY;w]
okjk.klh ds ek/;e ls izkIr gqvk FkkA pkyu 'kfDr funs'kky; }kjk bl cksxh Qzse dks blds iq.kZ :Ik ls
fdz;kUoeu ls iwoZ fMtkbZu oS|hdj.k ds fy, fu/kkZfjr ynku fLfFkfr;ksa ds vk/khu 10 fefy;u lkbfdy
izfrcy fo'ys"k.k ,oa Jkafr ijh{k.k gsrq Jkafr ijh{k.k iz;ksx'kkyk esa Hkstk x;k Fkk A
izfroy fo'ys"k.k pkyu 'kfDr }kjk nh xbZ ijh{k.k ;kstuk ds vuqlkj cksxh Qzse dks 27 fdzfVdy
yksds'kuksa ij LVªSu xst fd;k x;k Fkk A cksxh Qzse ds 8 LVsfVd ynku ekeyksa ,oa 2 Mk;ukfed ynku
ekeyksa ds vk/khu ,oa fu/kkZfjr ynku fLfFfr;ksa ds vk/khu 100 yk[k (10 fefy;u) lkbZdyksa rd blds
Jkafr ijh{k.k ] ijh{k.k funs'kky; ds lsUVªy odZ'kki es laLFkkfir u;s pkyw fd;s x;s esllZ ewx esd 500
Vu {kerk Jkafr ijh{k.k flLVe ij fd, x, Fks A
bl fjiksVZ esa ,Q-,-ch-&AA cksxh Qzse ds Jkafr ijh{k.k ,oa izfrcy fo'kys"k.k ds nkSjku rFkk vk;ksftr
djus gsrq fu"ikfnr xfrfof/k;kW 'kkfey gS A

One FAB -II, Bogie frame (Indigenously fabricated bogie frame for WDP-4 Locomotives) manufactured by
M/s Ved Sassomeccanica, Kanpur was received in Fatigue Testing Lab first time through DMW Varanasi,
on 01.11.2012. The bogie frame was sent to Fatigue testing Lab by Motive Power Directorate, for stress
analysis and fatigue test up to 10 million cycles under the specified loading conditions for its design
validation, before its full-fledged implementation.

The bogie frame was strain gauged at 27 critical locations as per the test scheme given by the Motive
Power Directorate. The stress analysis under 8 static loading case & 2 Dynamic loading case of the
bogie frame and its fatigue test up to 100 lac (10 million) cycles under the specified loading conditions
had been carried out on newly commissioned M/s Moog make 500 tonne cap acity fatigue Testing System,
installed in central work shop of Testing Directorate.

This report covers about the activities performed for conducting and during the stress analysis and
fatigue test of the FAB-II bogie frame in detail.

1.0 INTRODUCTION
One FAB -II, Bogie frame (Indigenously fabricated bogie frame
for WDP-4 Locomotives) manufactured by M/s V ed
Sassomeccanica, Kanpur was received in FatigueTesting Lab
first time through DMW V aranasi, on 01.1 1.2012. The bogie
frame was sent to Fatigue testing Lab by Motive Power
Directorate, for stress analysis and fatigue test up to 10 million
cycles under the specified loading conditions for its design
validation, before its full-fledged implementation.
The bogie frame was strain gauged at 27 critical locations as
per the test scheme given by the Motive Power Directorate.
The stress analysis under 8 static loading case & 2 Dynamic
loading case of the bogie frame and its fatigue test up to 100
lac (10 million) cycles under the specified loading conditions
had been carried out on newly commissioned M/s Moog make
500 tonne capacity fatigue Testing System, installed in central
work shop of Testing Directorate.

20
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report

1.1 Activities Performed 3.0 Cleaning of bogie frame

1.1.1 Designing of loading beams and fixtures and The Motive Power Directorate/RDSO/Lucknow , DMW/
preparation of drawings for its manufacturing Varanasi and The Manufacture of this bogie frame all
were informed to send the bogie frame in unpainted (Bare
The loading beams and fixtures were designed and 32
Metal) condition well in advance. This planning has saved
drawings were prepared by the fatigue Lab Research
lot of man power and time, as removal of painting is a
Engineers with in fifteen days only. Designing of beams
necessary requirement for strain gauges installation and
and fixture were done on the basis of 3-D, drawings of
for MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) test.
bogie frame and loading scheme. These were provided
by Motive Power Directorate. Loading beams and fixtures Hence basically dust removal and cleaning of oil & grease
were manufactured by M/s V ed Sassomeccanica, has to perform during the cleaning activity along with
Kanpur, as per drawing. To manufacture these loading removal of burrs by grinder at some locations.
beams and fixtures a work order was placed on bogie
frame manufacturer (M/s Ved Sassomeccanica, Kanpur)
by the Motive Power Directorate.
2.0 Unloading of bogie frame from the truck
The F AB-II bogie frame was one of the biggest and
heaviest test sample, tested so far in the fatigue testing
lab of RDSO. The Size of the Bogie frame was 6.15 x
2.7 x 0.75 meters and the weight of frame was about 5
Tons. Bogie frame was transported inside the central
work shop on a truck. This frame was unloaded from the
truck with the help of one Road crane hired from market
and an EOT crane of central work shop. Loading beams
and fixtures were also received along with the bogie frame,
which were also got unloaded from the truck with the
help of an EOT crane and Fork lifter.

4.0 Marking of 27 strain gauge locations on the

bogie frame as per the test scheme
Strain gauge locations were marked by Research
Engineers of Fatigue Testing lab with the help of steel
scale, set squares, center punch and a small hammer
as per the co-ordinates given in the fig. no.-2 enclosed
with the test scheme by the Motive power Directorate.

21
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

5.0 Steps for Fixing of strain Gauges on test Linear Gauges

sample and its connection with DAQ system
Make - Tokyo Sokki
a. Preparation of smooth surface Kenkyujo Co.Ltd.,
Japan
b. Fixing of strain gauges on smoothened surface
of test sample Type - QFLA-2-350
c. Fixing of cables and preparation of cable track Length - 5mm
d. Connection of strain gauges with DAQ system Resistance - 350 ±1.0 W
e. Shielding of strain gauges Gauge Factor - 2.04
5.(a) Preparation of smooth surface on the bogie
frame for fixing the strain gauges
Surface were prepared with light weight, high speed
Bosch make angular surface grinders by using rough,
fine and super fine grinding discs.

Rossette Gauges
Make - Kyowa Electronic
Instruments
Co.Ltd., Japan
Type - KFC-5-D17-11
Length - 5mm
Resistance - 119.5 ± 0.6 W
Gauge Factor - 2.13

5.(b) Fixing of strain gauges:

Strain gauges (Linear & Rosette) were fixed at critical
locations according to the test scheme, after proper
cleaning of grinded surface by the laboratory reagent
Acetone. Fixing of strain gauges at the exact critical
locations of test specimen was done by Research
engineers of fatigue testing lab, using Cyanoacrylate
adhesive according to the direction of gauges given in
the test scheme.
Strain gauges of following specifications were used for
monitoring strain/stress at different critical locations of
the bogie frame.

22
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report
5.(c) Fixing of cables and preparation of cable track
Four core cables was used to connect the strain gauges
with the 96 channel HBM make stress investigation
system. Cables were fixed on the bogie frame surface
by fevi quick near to the strain gauges and laid properly of cable connection was adopted according to the
by making proper tracks. This activity was done to protect
the cables from damages due to hanging and rubbing
with frame/with each other during the dynamic test.
23
5.(d) Connection of strain gauges with DAQ system
Four core cables were used for connection of strain
gauges with HBM DAQ system. One soldering terminal
was fixed on the bogie frame near to every strain gauge
by using fevi quick adhesive.Two wires (red & yellow) of
four core cables first joined together and then this wire
was soldered at one end of terminal point and another
end of that terminal point was soldered with one wire of
strain gauge. Similarly the other pair of wire (black &
green) was soldered with second wire of strain gauge
through this terminal, in case of linear type of strain
gauges. For each rosette type of strain gages three
cables were used similarly.
Strain gauges along with terminal and cable end
connected with this terminal were covered with SB tape
(TML Tokyo, Japan Make). This tape provides protection
to strain gauges and terminal joints from dust and moisture
with flexibility to strain gauges for elongation and
contraction during loading and unloading on the test
specimen.
Other ends of these four core cables were also jointed
with each other's two wires (red & yellow) and (black &
green) with cable lugs then connected to the strip type
junction box. The junction box was connected with another
four core cable which was soldered on four separate
pins of D-type 25 pin connectors of HBM make stress
investigation DAQ system (Model-MGCplus). This method
recommendations of HBM for quarter bridge
configuration, to achieve better 5- volt DC excitation and
voltage sense monitoring (MGCplus manual/connecting-
Transducer/4.7.5) .
Junction Box
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin
Strain guage cable connection along with cable numbers with junction box
5.(e) Shielding of strain gauges
Each and every strain gauge along with its terminals,
cable end and SB tape covered on it are than further
shielded with Araldite to provide hard covering on it for
further protection from damage due to hitting with foreign
objects.
24
February- 2014
6.0 Placement of bogie frame on the reaction
stools
After completion of the cabling and shielding of strain
gauging work of Bogie frame was placed on six vertical
loading reaction stools under the 500 ton capacity fatigue
testing system. One fixture prepared with two vertical
seamless tubes was fixed on the each reaction stool first,
and then bogie frame was placed on these seamless
tube fixtures. The seamless tubes were then further
aligned with the sleeves welded on the inner side of the
frame at all six reaction points. The alignment of the whole
bogie frame was finally done with the help of sprit level
and water level to establish its proper perpendicularism
and parallelism with respect to the bed plate of test system
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report

Both the 150 tone dynamic actuators were aligned exactly

over the center of vertical loading beams with the help of
above sliding trolley arrangement. The vertical loading
beam was placed horizontally above both side of bogie
frame on two vertical loading stools and the vertical
loading stools which were finally placed on four vertical
loading points of bogie frame. Locking rollers of all four
sliding trollies mounted under the cross beams and 150
ton actuators were slightly tightened. Checked and
reconfirmed the proper alignment of the actuators and
then all the locking roller studs were finally tightened.

7.0 Alignment of two 150 ton capacity dynamic

actuators for applying vertical loadings on the
specified locations of test sample during static
and dynamic test
M/s Moog make 500 ton capacity fatigue Testing System
is equipped with a 500 ton capacity reaction frame also.
This reaction frame consists of two cross beams
supported on two horizontal beams through sliding trollies
at both the ends. Both the crossbeams can slide on
horizontal beams in both the directions very smoothly
with this arrangement.

Six actuators are vertically mounted on the above two

cross beams of this reaction frame through an individual
sliding trolley. One 150 ton capacity dynamic actuator is
mounted in between the two 75 ton capacity static
actuators in a row on one cross beam. Each sliding trolley
is equipped with locking rollers. These trollies can be
locked or unlocked anywhere on the cross beam or on
the horizontal beams by tightening or loosening the locking
roller studs as per the loading location requirements of
the test scheme.

8.0 Alignment of one 25 ton capacity actuators for

simulating lateral loadings on the specified
locations of test sample during static and
dynamic test
One 25 tone dynamic actuator was mounted on the lateral
loading bracket. Bracket along with the 25 ton actuator
was fitted and aligned with the lateral loading beam and
lateral loading point of the bogie frame.

25
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

10.0 Fitment of loading fixtures for simulating lateral

loads on the bogie frame at the end axle
locations during deferent series of stress
investigation and endurance test as per the
test scheme

Lateral loading beams and fixture were assembled and

placed at one side of the bogie frame. This beam was
coupled with the bogie frame at two lateral loading points
with the help of two Swivel base on both the ends. Center
of the loading beam was coupled with the 25 tone dynamic
actuators (already mounted on the lateral loading bracket
at item no.-11) to apply lateral loads at the two end axle
locations of the bogie frame during the different test
series. Before tightening the lateral loading bracket with
bed plate we ensured the alignment of the actuator with
the lateral loading beam.

9.0 Assembly and fixing of vertical loading beam

and fixtures for simulating vertical static and
dynamic loads on the bogie frame at Side
bearer during deferent series of stress
investigation and fatigue test as per the test
scheme
One 150 tone dynamic actuator was coupled on each
vertical loading beam at both side of the bogie frame.
The vertical loading beam then coupled with vertical
loading stools at both the ends. These vertical loading
stools were then placed at the vertical loading points of
the bogie frame for distribution of the required loads at
the side bearer points.
Mounting bolts of all six vertical loading reaction stools
were tightened after checking the alignment of bogie
frame, vertical actuators, loading beams & fixtures.

26
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report

11.0 Assembly and fixing of reaction load holding

arrangement against the lateral load
Reaction load holding arrangement for lateral load was
fixed on the opposite side lateral load bearing bracket of
Center Pivot Reaction Holding fixture fitment with four bar
the bogie frame.
13.0 Assembly and fixing of Traction motor loading
arrangement on the three locations of the nose
link of bogie frame
The traction motor load was applied with the help of three
jacks and three tailor made brackets arrangement, fitted
at three locations of the traction motor nose links.

Lateral Loading Reaction Holding fixture fittment

12.0 Assembly and fixing of center pivot reaction

loading arrangement on the bogie frame
One reaction loading fixture was designed by Fatigue
Lab engineers for the center pivot reaction load holding
arrangement. It was assembled and placed at center pivot
location of bogie frame. This center pivot was anchored
with bogie frame through four bar with the help of four
numbers of pins and cotters. This arrangement was to
hold the reaction loads duo to longitudinal load & braking
load at four bar location.

27
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin
14.0 Assembly and fixing of Tractive effort loading
arrangement at the six locations as per the
test scheme
Three seem less pipes of appropriate diameter were
placed in place of three primary traction rod locations.
The tractive effort loading arrangement was created by
fitment of two jacks on the each seem less pipes at inner
side of the frame, nearer to the horn cheek.
15.0 Assembly and fixing of Brake hanger force
simulating arrangement at two locations in
downward direction as per the test scheme
The brake hanger force in downward direction was
applied by a calibrated spring through tailor made loading
fixture arrangement. The loading arrangement locked with
base plate to achieve the desired load in down word
direction on both side brake hanger brackets.
28
February- 2014
16.0 Assembly and fixing of Brake hanger force
loading arrangement at four locations in
upward direction as per the test scheme
Arrangement for putting brake hanger force in upward
direction was created by the help of four hydraulic jacks
on four points through welded brackets on the locations
mentioned in test scheme.
17.0 Calibration of 13 hydraulic jacks for simulating
traction motor loads, tractive effort loads and
Brake hanger loads on the bogie frame
All the 13 hydraulic jacks used above were calibrated
with the 75 tonne capacity actuator for Pressure Vs Load.
Calibration of hydraulic jacks
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report

18.0 Calibration of two springs for putting brake
head load in down word direction on the frame
Two springs used to create down ward brake head force
were calibrated with the 75 tonne actuator for spring
Load Vs. Height.
20.0 Stress investigation test under static condition
All desired load were simulated on the locations of the
Bogie frame as per the test scheme (load cases S1 to
S8 ) and recorded the values of stress under static
condition.
Loading Scheme for Static Test

Calibration of Spring
19.0 Configuration of DAQ system & Balancing of
all strain gauge channels with no load
condition
The HBM make MGC plus data acquisition system was
configured for 43 strain gauge channels with quarter 21.0 Stress investigation test under simulated
bridge configuration for real time strain/stress value dynamic condition
recording along with 3channels for force feedback
All desired loads were simulated on the locations of the
signals coming from smartest actuator controller of
Bogie frame as per the test scheme (load cases D1 &
500tonne fatigue testing moog system and the
D2 ) with a frequency of 1Hz and recorded the values of
connection was checked for all recording channels and
stress under simulated dynamic condition.
balancing of strain /stresses V alues coming on all
channels are checked under no load condition of the Loading Scheme for Dynamic Test
bogie frame. The system was calibrated for zero reading
for each channel separately under this condition.

29
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin February- 2014

22.0 Fatigue test @ 3 HZ for 1 Crore cycles (10

Million cycles)
Fatigue test was done after the stress investigation test.
The test was stared after simulating all the desired
loadings conditions of the fatigue test loading scheme.
Testing was first continued for five minutes on 1 HZ only.
Conditions of loading arrangements were checked.
Problems noticed were rectified and testing again started
on 1 HZ cycles for 20 minutes. Then the testing was
continued up to 30 minutes @2 HZ frequency . Alignments
of the loading beams, brackets, hydraulic hoses were
checked and rectified. Testing was again continued for
further 30 minutes @2 HZ frequency. Alignments of the
loading beams, brackets, hydraulic hoses were again
checked and tightness of all fasteners were rechecked.
Testing was stared @ 3 HZ frequency after ensuring that
alignments of the loading beams, brackets, hydraulic
hoses are in perfect order . Testing was continued for
one hour then the alignments of the loading beams,
brackets, hydraulic hoses and fasteners were checked Red Signal - Lateral Loading Actuator (no. 5) force feedback (0-136kN)
and made in proper order. Blue Signal - V ertical loading Actuator (no. 7) force feedback (200-380kN)
Green Signal - V ertical loading Actuator (no. 8) force feedback (200-380kN)
Testing continued for two days @ 3 HZ for 08 hrs. in
23.0 LOADING SCHEME FOR FATIGUE TEST
general shift only for stabilizing of whole testing system.
Fatigue tests was conducted in five series (F1 to F5) of
Testing continued in round 'O' Clock three shif ts up to
2 million cycles each up to ten million cycles under
100 Lac cycles.
different load combinations indicated below:

30
 Procedure Adopted For Fatigue Testing on "FAB-II Bogie Frame": A Technical Report
a) Load Scheme For Fatigue Test Series F1 to F3
Series F1 to F3, is to undergo for two million cycles
each, repeated upto 6 million cycles, following the loading
cycle mentioned in the loading scheme given below (the
lateral load and tractive effort load changes after 2 lakhs
and 12 lakhs cycles).
b) Load Scheme For Fatigue Test Series F4
Series F4 is to undergo for two million cycles following
the loading cycle mentioned in the loading scheme given
below (the lateral load and tractive effort load changes
after 2 lakhs and 12 lakhs cycles):
c) Load Scheme For Fatigue Test Series F5
Series F5 is to undergo for two million cycles following
the loading cycle mentioned in the loading scheme given
below (the lateral load and tractive effort load changes
after 2 lakhs and 12 lakhs cycles):
24.0 Monitoring of Stress during Fatigue testing in
simulated static and dynamic modes
The stresses during Fatigue testing in static and simulated This system is very huge and high capacity equipment
dynamic modes were measured and recorded for 30
seconds after completion of every 20 Lac cycles.
25.0 Stress investigation test under static condition
after completion of 100 Lac cycles of fatigue
testing
All desired load were again simulated on the locations
given on the test scheme . and recorded the values of
stress under static condition S1 to S8.
26.0 Stress investigation test under simulated
dynamic condition after completion of 100 Lac 10 X 10 meter "T" slotted bed plate, which can bear 600
cycles of fatigue testing
All desired load were again simulated on the locations
given on the test scheme. and recorded the values of
stress under simulated dynamic condition.
31
27.0 Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPITesting) after
completion of 100 Lac cycles of fatigue test
Magnetic Particle Inspection was done by the experts of
M&C directorate after Completion of 100 lac cycles of
fatigue test of Fab II bogie frame.
Magnetic Particle Inspection
28.0 About 500 ton fatigue testing system
Site : Central workshop, Testing Directorate
Make : M/S MOOG Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Commissioned on : Nov. 2010
System Cost : 19.85 Cr.
28.1 Introduction
Before Nov-2010, Fatigue testing lab of Testing
Directorate was equipped with 100 tones capacity
fatigue testing system with a maximum capacity of 25
tones load actuators. This system was capable to cater
the general fatigue testing requirements of bogie frame
and bolster of existing wagon with maximum axle load of
22.82 tones.Towards the process of development of high
axle load wagons, RDSO now is in process to develop
the higher axle load wagons as per the AAR standards.
The bogies and bolsters of higher axle load wagons are
supposed to clear the accelerated fatigue testing on 453
tons st atic and dynamic loadings as per the AAR test
criteria. Hence this system has been procured to cater
the future testing requirements for higher axle load wagons
as per the AAR testing parameters.
28.2 Salient Feature of the system
which can test the specimen up to a load of 500 tones in
static and dynamic modes. The system has been
designed in such a way that this can be utilized for testing
of smallest components of rolling stock under 0.5 tone
load also, for its optimum utilization. The system is
equipped with two hydraulic power units with six pumps
of 100 LPM in each HPU to generate 3000 PSI hydraulic
pressure on 1200 LPM discharge rate to achieve the
desire load through under mentioned set of dynamic and
static actuators and 500 ton capacity reaction frame on
tones load.
The test system basically consists of closed loop electro-
hydraulic computerized fatigue testing equipment. It is
provided with a hydraulic power supply for generating
 Indian Railway Technical Bulletin
high hydrau lic pressure required for producing the
desired forces.
The High pressure hydraulic fluid at 3000PSI is fed to
the hydraulic actuator through a servo-value. The
actuator, which is a cylinder piston arrangement, applies
the compressive/tensile forces to the specimen mounted
on the test bed. The desired level of loading is achieved
by the controller in computerized control equipment of
the system. A command signal is fed to the input module
which p asses it on to a servo controller . The desired
dynamic wave form is provided by a function generator.
The controller sends electronic signal to the servo valve
to regulate its port opening in such a manner as to achieve Testing Machine will help for design validation of high
the desired load level.A feedback transducer introduced
in the system, sense the load applied to the specimen
and sends a proportional signal to the input module. Here, load conditions. This will also help to improve the reliability
the feedback is compared with the command and any
difference in their magnitudes or polarity is corrected
through an electronic signal to the controller . With this
arrangement any continuously varying command is
reproduced faith fully.
The other important features are as under
l Automotive test controller for controlling 8 actuators
upgradable up to 32 actuators.
l 96 channel data acquisition system for on line
stress recording.
l T-slot bed plate of 10mx10m size which can bear
dynamic load of 500 tones.
l Four column portal frame of 500tonnes capacity
l 6-point concentrator of 600tonne capacity and 3
point force concentrator for combined load
application of multiple actuators.
l Manual movement of ram of actuators through
pendant.
l hydrostatic bearings have been provided in all the
actuators to bear maximum angular thrust.
l Height of transverse beam can be adjusted through
motorized lifting device with laser beam safety
monitoring system.
l Heavy duty spring loaded roller clamp for easy
sliding of cross beam and actuators.
28.3 Capabilities
l This system can test the specimen up to 500 tones l
static and dynamic loads.
l Future heavy axle load wagons bogie, bolster and
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32
February- 2014
other component s can be tested as per AAR
standards.
l Load deflection test and energy characteristics
test can be done on helical springs and rubber
buffer springs through the machine, since stroke
of the actuators are 250 mm.
l Calibration of CBC can be done in tensile and
compression mode at 150 tones.
l With the help of 96 channel data acquisition system
on line stress recording with auto channel balancing
and auto calibration which shows directly stress
value. This reduces the testing time and analysis
time of data.
l T-slot bed plate provides lot of flexibility while
mounting the test sample under the actuators.
Two hydraulic power supply units each provided with six
pumps with automatic flow control to save the power i.e.
Nos. of motors in use will automatic are selected by the
system depending upon the oil flow requirement.
28.4 Benefits
Accelerated Fatigue Testing of Bogies & Bolster of high
axle load wagons as perAAR specifications.This Fatigue
axle load wagons i.e. 25t wagon & 32.5t etc. & other
rolling stocks (coach & locos) also by simulating field
of wagon bogie, bolster and other structure by assessing
the fatigue life of sub assembly.
28.5 FOLLOWING FEATURES MAKE THIS SYSTEM
DIFFERENT FORM THE 100 TON INSTRON
MAKE OLD FATIGUE TESTING SYSTEM
l This system can test the specimen up to 500 tones
static and dynamic load whereas old Instron
machine is capable to test up to 100 tones only.
l A wide range of testing can be accomplished on
these heavy load actuators with +125mm stroke
whereas max. S troke of Instron make actuators
are + 50 mm.
l Automotive test controller for controlling 8 actuators
with smart wave software capable of sequential
loading between two to all eight actuators on
different load, different frequency and different
phase.
l System can run in automatic mode on pre-
programmed loading test scheme.
l 96 channel data acquisition system for on line
stress recording with auto channel balancing and
auto calibration.
l Facility of simultaneous acquisition and real time
display of feedback channels (position & load) of
actuators with stress value.
l System to measure deflection up to 1 inch with
accuracy of 0.001 inch.
Continuous running of the machine with feedback
system through SMS in case of any breakdown
in the machine. This facility will reduce testing time
and manpower in other than general shifts.
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