Chapter 3: Design of Unpowered Railway Vehicles

3.1 General Vehicle Structure, Main Functions and Terminology

Unpowered railway vehicles, also known as wagons or coaches, are primarily used for
freight and passenger transportation, providing high energy efficiency. These trains are drawn by
locomotives or multiple locomotives distributed along the train.

Railway vehicles are primarily characterized by axle load and maximum design speed. In
freight transportation, axle loads range from 22.5 to 37.5 t, with design speeds below 160 km/h.
Passenger coaches tend to increase design speed while maintaining the axle load as small as
possible. Freight train consists can reach up to 48,000 t in total weight and 320 wagons, with
efficiency determined by mass capacity and volume capacity. Passenger trains are usually
limited by platform size, with speed and comfort being valued more than passengers' mass.
Unpowered vehicles produce running resistance and require brakes to stop. Vehicle design
handles operational scenarios such as acceleration, deceleration, and interaction with bridges and
tunnels.

3.1.1 Car Bodies

Over 200 years, freight wagons and coaches have evolved to create various car body
designs for various purposes. Freight wagons carry bulk, hopper wagons carry grain or mineral
fertilisers, tank wagons carry liquids, and flat wagons carry containers. Passenger coaches provide
travel for sitting or sleeping passengers, and there are restaurant and laboratory coaches with
measurement equipment. Car bodies can be rigid or rigid with elastic properties, and their
eigenfrequencies should be considered when simulating vehicle dynamics. In passenger vehicles,
the eigenmodes of the car body influence ride performance and passenger comfort. Research is
being conducted to use piezoelectric technology to provide additional damping for eigenmodes of
super-light car bodies and implement control in suspensions to dampen rigid-body oscillations.
The interaction between wagons and cargo is an important part of vehicle system dynamics, with
semi-trailers having their own road suspension and liquid cargo sloshes inside tanks.
3.1.2 Running Gears, Bogies, and Suspensions

Railway vehicles differ from other wheeled transport due to the guidance provided by the
railway track. The running gear, which includes wheelsets, elastic suspension, brakes, and traction
and braking forces, ensures safe motion along the track. Its main functions include transmission
and equalization of vertical load, guidance, control of dynamic forces, efficient damping of
oscillations, and application of braking forces. Vehicles can be bogied or bogie-less depending on
their running gear. Bogied vehicles have suspension, brakes, and traction equipment mounted on
the car body, while bogie vehicles have running gear mounted on a separate frame that can turn
relative to the vehicle body. Bogied vehicles are heavier but often have simpler designs, providing
reliability and maintenance benefits.

3.1.3 Couplers, Automatic Couplers and Draw Bars

Devices in car body end sections connect adjacent vehicles in a train, transmit longitudinal
tension and compression forces, dampen train oscillations, and allow rotation angles for safe
passing. They also facilitate coupling and uncoupling operations.

Coupling devices can operate manually or automatically. Manual operation involves lifting
the screw coupling and connecting it to the vehicle, limiting its weight and tension capacity.
Automatic operation involves running the vehicle off the sorting yard hump or moving it by
locomotive. Automatic couplers guide locking positions, but manual force is needed to unlock
them. This increases train length and weight, speeds up sorting, and provides higher safety for
railway staff.

Automatic couplers in trains have longitudinal slack, providing energy efficiency in

starting mode. However, it can cause impacts during transition modes, increasing accelerations
and reducing ride comfort. Slackless couplers are often used in coaches and freight wagons.
Coupler heights can vary due to wheel wear or suspension deflection. Screw couplings with buffers
provide damping for oscillations in trains.

The draft gear is a damping device in automatic couplers, working in compression when
tension or compression forces are applied. Its energy-absorption capacity under impact conditions
varies, with friction gears having the lowest energy capacity.
3.1.4 Pneumatic Brakes

The automatic pneumatic brake is the primary brake type for unpowered railway vehicles
worldwide. It transmits brake control signals from the locomotive to each vehicle by changing the
pressure in the pneumatic train line brake pipe. Each vehicle houses braking equipment such as
brake pipes, air distributors, spare tanks, cylinders, rigging, shoes, and an empty-load device. The
braking force is transmitted through rigging and brake pads.
Automatic brake equipment applies brakes when vehicles disconnect in accidents, while
pneumatic brakes can be applied in normal operational mode to decelerate the train or in
emergency braking mode.
Wheel-rail traction force depends on vehicle axle load, especially for wagons. Brake
cylinder pressure needs to be based on car body weight to prevent skidding. Special empty-load
devices control brake cylinder pressure, and anti-skidding devices are sometimes introduced in
passenger coaches. Braking generates longitudinal compression forces in train couplers, especially
in long freight trains. Assessing derailment safety involves simulating situations where heavy
trains pass through curves and emergency brakes apply large compression forces.