1. ABSTRACT

ICF Bogie is a conventional railway bogie used on the majority of Indian

Railway main line passenger coaches. The design of the bogie was developed

by ICF (Integral Coach Factory), Perumbur, India in collaboration with the

Swiss Car & Elevator Manufacturing Co., Schlieren, Switzerland in the

1950s. The design is also called the Schlieren design based on the location of

the Swiss company

The dynamic behaviour of a railway bogie has been investigated by using a

mathematical model,a space state equation, for simulation with a computer.

The comparison of a damped with a undamped bogie demonstrated that the

driving stability at high speeds can be uprated after the installation of dampers

acting in driving direction and allaround the vertical rotation axis of the bogie

The maximum speed of the damped bogie has amounted to 76 m/s.

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2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 PROBLEM DEFINTION

Design office takes care of the changes in the availability of the new

materials, standardization, obsolescence, feed back reports from the user Railways

and recommendations by various standing committees and study groups on the

Indian Railways.

With the changing requirements of the Railways, the design office is

challenged to drastically cut down the design cycle time. The design office can

proudly take the credit of development of the following new designs in the past

three years.

Started in 1952, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is located in Perambur, a

suburb of Chennai, India. Its primary products are rail coaches. Most of the

coaches manufactured are supplied to the Indian Railways, but it has also

manufactured coaches for railway companies in other countries, including

Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, Zambia, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam,

Nigeria, Mozambique and Bangladesh. Recently, ICF exported coaches to Angola.

It also has got orders worth of Rs. 102 crores from Sri Lanka.

The coach factory provides a number of different coaches primarily for the Indian

Railways, primarily first and second class coaches, pantry and kitchen cars,

luggage and brake vans, self propelled coaches, electric, diesel and mainline

electric multiple units (EMU, DMU, MEMU), metro coaches and Diesel Electric

Tower Cars (DETC), Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMV).

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3. HISTORY

Schlieren-Zurich (Switzerland). The first Kirloskar 8½” centre lathe was

installed by the then Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in the machine shop on

20th Jan 1955. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India Pandit

Jawaharlal Nehru on 2nd October 1955. Thus this great factory, ICF, came into

being with K. Sadagopan, as the first Chief Administrative Officer. Dignitaries

present on this occasion included Lal Bahadur Shastri, Railway Minister;

O.V.Alagesan, Deputy Minister for Railways; K. Kamaraj, Chief Minister of

Madras Presidency and U.Huber, Director of the Swiss company for whom this

was a proud moment, a witness to the consummation of the efforts of his experts

working in collaboration with Indian engineers. Production began in a modest

manner in 1955 with the manufacture of seven third class coach shells. Today the

coach factory produces more than 1600 coaches of more than 170 varieties. In the

year 2007-08, ICF created a milestone by producing 1291 railway passenger

coaches, coaches per annum. It employs about 13,000 persons. Nearly 1336

coaches are manufactured every year, and 6 coaches are manufactured per day.

4. INAUGURATION

Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is a premier Production Unit of Indian

Railways manufacturing railway passenger coaches. ICF is the first of its kind to

be established after Independence for the manufacture of light weight, all steel and

all welded Integral railway passenger coaches. The factory was set up in 1955

with Swiss collaboration.

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5. STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION

The Integral Coach Factory consists of two main parts - shell division and

the furnishing division. The shell division manufactures the skeleton of the rail

coach, while the furnishing division is concerned with the coach interiors and

amenities.

5.1 PRODUCTION

ICF’s initial plan was to produce 350 Broad Gauge Third Class shells

(unfurnished body of the Railway Coaches) only, which were to be furnished by

the Zonal Railways workshops. Later, in view of the severe limitation of capacity

of the Railway workshops and also to take advantage of mass production, a

separate Furnishing Division was added on 2nd October, 1962. The capacity was

progressively expanded from the initial 350 shells to 750 fully furnished coaches

per annum by 1973-74 with additional inputs. This was enhanced progressively

from 850 coaches during 1986-87 to 1000 coaches in 1990-91. The modernization

project is under last stage of execution to augment capacity to 1250 coaches and

will be over by 2010-11.

Capacity is further being enhanced to 1500 coaches per annum through

infrastructure additions and modernization of machines.

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5.2 DESIGN FEATURES

The design concept of the coach stipulates that the roof, side wall, end wall

and the underframe are joined together by welding, to form a fully integral coach

shell. The end-wall construction has been made specially strong to make it anti-

telescopic to ensure maximum safety to passengers. Further, crashworthy features

are provided with CBC design to minimize impact on passengers during

accidents/derailments.

From the basic design handed down by the collaborators, ICF has diversified

having established its expertise and skill in this field, to design and manufacture

more than 350 different types of coaches for Indian Railways and export market.

Every time a new type of coach is launched, emphasis is laid on improving

passenger comfort, passenger safety and higher speeds. ICF follows standard

inspection procedures to ensure quality from raw material stage to the finished

coach.

5.3 PRODUCT RANGE

ICF has been meeting the needs of the Indian Railways for varied types of

coaches, however sophisticated the type may be. Some of the important types are:

5.3.1 SELF PROPELLED COACHES

Electric Multiple Units for suburban services in Metropolitan cities;

Diesel Rail Cars;

Metro Coaches for Kolkata Metro Railways;

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Diesel Electric Multiple Units & Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Units for non-

electrified routes and Mainline Electric Multiple Units for long distance inter-

city commutership.

Accident Relief Trains / Medical Vans

OHE Inspection Cars

5.3.2AIR-CONDITIONED & NON-AIRCONDITIONED PASSENGER

COACHES

Air-conditioned Sleeper Coaches of first & second class;

Air-conditioned Chair Cars of first and second class;

Double Decker Coaches with seating capacity for 148 passengers as against

the conventional 90 passengers.

5.3.3 SPECIAL COACHES

Air-conditioned & Non-air-conditioned Pantry Cars

High Capacity Power Cars for Shatabdi & Rajdhani Express Trains

Air-conditioned Military Ward and Saloon Cars for Indian Army.

Air-conditioned Saloon Cars, Dining Cars, Bar & Restaurant Cars, luxury

suites for luxury tourist trains like Palace on Wheels (WR), Deccan Odyssey

(CR), The Golden Chariot (SWR), Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (NWR) and

Maharajas� Express of IRCTC

Lifeline Express for operation of hospital on wheels

Jet Deflector Crane Cars, Inter Communication Coaches for DRDO

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5.3.4 EXPORT

ICF’s achievement on the export front has been enviable since its

inception. Against stiff international competition from more advanced countries

like Japan, etc., ICF secured several export orders, most of which are repeat orders.

So far, 359 bogies, 11 stainless steel coach shells and 481 coaches including air-

conditioned coaches have been exported to 13 Afro-Asian countries. ICF has

bagged a number of awards for Export Excellence also.

5.4 DESIGN & DEVLOPMENT EFFORTS

Complementing the existing design capacities and facilities, a fully

computerised Design & Development Cell has been set up with sophisticated state-

of-the-art computer designing facilities and testing equipment both for coach

components and raw materials. D&D Centre uses 3-D modelling on SolidWorks

platform for generating 3-D drawings and IDEAS software for Finite Element

Analysis.

Strain gauge testing and squeeze test are done on prototypes before

commencement of series production.

5.5 PRODUCTION WITH INNOVATION

ICF has carved a niche in the Indian Railway system by constantly

improving the quality of travel through its passenger coach design which has

undergone a sea- change from the days of bye-gone era of mere transport of

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passengers. There has been a steady growth both in the quality and quantity of its

production. Over the years ICF has endeavoured to meet passengers expectations

through innovations like

Cushioned seats in General Second Class and SLR coaches

Provision of Controlled Discharge Toilet Systems

Anti-injury features in the passenger areas of A/C 2-tier and Sleeper

coaches

Enhanced carrying capacity in A/C 2-tier, First A/C and Garib Rath

Chair Car

Provision of forced ventilation, PIS/PAS in AC/DC EMUs for WR

and CR

UIC vestibules in mainline coaches

Disabled friendly features in SLRD/SRD coaches

Modular toilets in passenger coaches

Provision of laptop and cell phone charging points in passenger

coaches

Use of stainless steel in Pantry Cars including interiors and the

equipment

As milestones in this endless travel, ICF has obtained the ISO: 9001, ISO: 14001

and ISO: 18001 certificates for the QMS, EMS and OHSAS systems respectively.

All this has been made possible through ICF’s commitment to progress and

improvement with its dedicated workforce functioning in a contented atmosphere

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in pleasant surroundings and working conditions. Several welfare schemes like

staff quarters, adequate clean water supply, improved medical facilities, online

information kiosks, issue of pass centrally, encouragement in sports activities, etc.,

are provided.

PRODUCTION WITH INNOVATION is our motto and we will continue to live

up to it.

6 MILESTONES

1 First Third Class Shell production 2nd October 1955

2 First Indigenous Shell produced 14th August 1956

3 First Full production capacity achieved 1958-59

4 First Incentive system of payment introduced January 1960

5 First MG First Class Coach 1960-61

6 First 1000th Shell, fully furnished and produced 1962-63

7 First Fully furnished third class sleeper coach October 1961

8 First AC EMU A produced September 1962

9 First MG Diesel Rail Car 1964-65

10 First MG EMU Motor coach 1965-66

11 First AC Express 1966-67

12 First Rajdhani Express November 1968

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13 First Power Car (WLRRM) November 1968

14 First DC EMU Motor coach 1969-70

15 First AC Composite Coach (FACCW) 1972-73

16 First BG AC 2 tier Sleeper December 1974

17 First AC Power Car (WLRRM AC) 1975-76

18 First Second Class Day Coach (SDC) 1975-76

19 First DC EMU high capacity Motor coach January 1976

20 First BG Double Decker Coach 1976-77

21 First Manufacture of Vaigai Express 15th August 1977

22 First 23 Metre (70 feet) SCN Coach 1978-79

23 First Military Ward cum Dining Car 1978-79

24 First MG Milk van Bogie 4th July 1979

25 First MG ACCW coach 1981-82

26 First Metro Coach for Calcutta Sub-urban 1981-82

27 First Taj Express 1987-88

28 First Shatabdi Express 1989-90

29 First MG Palace on Wheels,20 Coaches, 5 types July 1991

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30 First Conventional Coach with Air Brake November 1993

31 First AC MEMU Motor Coach March 1994

32 First DEMU Coach March 1994

33 First BG palace on Wheels, 20 Coaches, 5 types May 1995

34 First Biological Toilet implemented May 1995

35 First OHE Inspection Car (DETC) November 1995

36 First Roof Mounted BG ACCW Coach January 1996

37 First DHMU Coach March 1996

38 First DHTC Shell for SAN Engineering. March 1998

39 First AC Chair Car Roof Mounted 1998-99

40 First ARMV DTC AC coach March 1999

41 First Stainless Steel AC Coach 1999-2000

42 First DEMU High Horse Power 2000-01

43 First AC DC EMU Motor Coach 2001-02

44 First AC DC EMU Trailer Coaches 2001-02

45 First Jan Shatabdi Coach 2001-02

46 First Coaches fitted with Modular Toilets 2001-02

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47 First New Generation EMUs for AP Metro 2002-03

48 First Deccan Odyssey Coaches for MTDC 2002-03

49 First CBC-fitted coaches for Prayag Raj Express 2003-04

50 First Fire retardant coaches 2003-04

51 First HHP DMU with aerodynamic front end 2003-04

52 First Prototype coaches for MRVC 2004-05

53 First SPURT Car 2004-05

54 First Jet Deflector Crane Car 2005-06

55 First DEMUs for Jammu & Kashmir Region 2006-07

56 First AC Chair Cars for Garib Rath Train 2006-07

57 First AC/DC EMUs with Siemens Electrics 2007-08

58 First Luxury Tourist Coaches for KSTDC 2007-08

59 First Coaches for Lifeline Express 2007-08

60 First LHB Stainless Steel Coach Design 2008-09

7 DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF ICF

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The design cell has a Design & Development wing. A CAD Centre is

installed which assists in evolution and preparation of new drawings faster.

Design office has designed more than 400 types of coaches to three different

gauges 1676mm, 1067mm and 1000mm. It has produced over 3,00,000 drawings

for coach layout and coach components.

Design office takes care of the changes in the availability of the new

materials, standardization, obsolescence, feed back reports from the user Railways

and recommendations by various standing committees and study groups on the

Indian Railways.

With the changing requirements of the Railways, the design office is

challenged to drastically cut down the design cycle time. The design office can

proudly take the credit of development of the following new designs in the past

three years.

They are:

Diesel Electric Multiple Units for JAMMU & KASHMIR

Self Propelled Accident Relief Tool Vans (SPART)

ACDC EMU MRVC

Integrated Communication Car (ICC for DRDO)

Jet Deflector Crane Car (JDCC for DRDO)

Saloon Medical Releif Van & Power Car for (MoD)

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)

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Rajastan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC)

LHB - EOG and Hybrid Design.

8 BOGIE ASSEMBLY

A bogie in the UK, or a wheel truck, or simply truck in North

America, is a structure underneath a train to which axles (and, hence, wheels) are

attached through bearings. In Indian English, bogie may also refer to an entire

railway carriage.

The first British railway to build coaches with bogies, instead of rigidly-mounted

axles, was the Midland Railway in 1874.

Bogies serve a number of purposes:

Support of the rail vehicle body.

Stability on both straight and curved track.

Ensuring ride comfort by absorbing vibration and minimizing centrifugal forces

when the train runs on curves at high speed.

Minimizing generation of track irregularities and rail abrasion.

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Usually two bogies are fitted to each carriage, wagon or locomotive, one at each

end. An alternate configuration often is used in articulated vehicles, which places

the bogies (often jacobs bogies ) under the connection between the carriages or

wagons.

Most bogies have two axles as it is the simplest design, but some cars designed for

extremely heavy loads have been built with up to five axles per bogie. Heavy-duty

cars may have more than two bogies using span bolsters to equalize the load and

connect the bogies to the cars.

Usually the train floor is at a level above the bogies, but the floor of the car may be

lower between bogies, such as for a double decker train to increase interior space

while staying within height restrictions, or in easy-access, stepless-entry low-floor

trains.

Key components of a bogie include:

The bogie frame itself. This can be of inside frame type where the main frame

and bearings are between the wheels, or (more commonly) of outside frame

type where the main frame and bearings are outside the wheels.

Suspension to absorb shocks between the bogie frame and the rail vehicle body.

Common types are coil springs, or rubber airbags.

At least one wheelset, composed of an axle with a bearings and wheel at each

end.

Axle box suspension to absorb shocks between the axle bearings and the bogie

frame. The axle box suspension usually consists of a spring between the bogie

frame and axle bearings to permit up and down movement, and sliders to

prevent lateral movement. A more modern design uses solid rubber springs.

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Brake equipment . Two main types are used: brake shoes that are pressed against

the tread of the wheel, and disc brakes and pads.

In powered vehicles, some form of transmission, usually an electrically

powered traction motors or a hydraulically powered torque converter.

The connections of the bogie with the rail vehicle allows a certain degree of

rotational movement around a vertical axis pivot (bolster), with side bearers

preventing excessive movement. More modern bolsterless bogie designs omit these

features, instead taking advantage of the sideways movement of the suspension to

permit rotational movement.

9 TYPES OF BOGIE

9.1 BR1 BOGIE

The British Railways Mark 1 coach brought into production in 1950 utilised

the BR1 bogie, which was rated to run at 90 mph (145 km/h). The wheels were

cast as a one-piece item in a pair with their axle. The simple design involved the

bogie resting on four leaf springs (one spring per wheel) which in turn were

connected to the axles. The leaf springs were designed to absorb any movement or

resonance and to have a damping effect to benefit ride quality.

Each spring was connected to the outermost edge of the axle by a roller

bearing contained in oil-filled axle box. The oil had to be topped up at regular

maintenance times to avoid the bearing running hot and seizing.

There was also a heavy-duty version designated BR2.

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9.2 COMMONWEALTH BOGIE

Commonwealth bogie as used on BR Mark 1 and CIE Park Royals.

The Commonwealth bogie, manufactured by SKF or Timken, was

introduced in the late 1950s for all BR Mark 1 vehicles. It was a heavy, cast-steel

design weighing about 6.5 l ong tons (6.6 t) with sealed roller bearings on the axle

ends, avoiding the need to maintain axle box oil levels.

The leaf springs were replaced by coil springs (one per wheel) running

vertically rather than horizontally. The advanced design gave a better ride quality

than the BR1, being rated for 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

The side frame of the bogie was usually of bar construction, with simple

horn guides attached, allowing the axleboxes vertical movements between them.

The axleboxes had a cast steel equaliser beam or bar resting on them. The bar had

two steel coil springs placed on it and the bogie frame rested on the springs. The

effect was to allow the bar to act as a compensating lever between the two axles

and to use both springs to soften shocks from either axle. The bogie had a

conventional bolster suspension with swing links carrying a spring plank.

9.3 B4 BOGIE

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B4 bogie as used on BR Mark 2 and Irish Cravens

The B4 bogie was introduced in 1963. It was a fabricated steel design as

versus cast iron and was lighter than the Commonwealth, weighing in at 5 long

tons (5.08 t). It also had a speed rating of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

Axle/spring connection was again with fitted roller bearings. However, now

two coil springs rather than one were fitted per wheel.

Only a very small amount of Mark 1 stock was fitted with the B4 bogie from new,

it being used on the Mark 1 only to replace worn out BR1 bogies. The British Rail

Mark 2 coach however carried the B4 bogies from new. A heavier duty version,

the B5, was standard on Southern Region Mk1 based EMUs from the 1960s

onwards. Some Mark 1 catering cars had mixed bogies—a B5 under the kitchen

end, and a B4 under the seating end. Some of the B4 fitted Mark 2s, as well as

many B4 fitted Mark 1 BGs were allowed to run at 110 miles per hour (180 km/h)

with extra maintenance, particularly of the wheel profile, and more frequent

exams.

9.4 BT10 BOGIE

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BT10 High speed bogie as used on MK3

The BT10 bogie was introduced on the British Rail Mark 3 coach in the

1970s. Each wheel is separately connected to the bogie by a swing-arm axle.

There is dual suspension:

primary suspension via a coil spring and damper mounted on each axle.

secondary suspension via two air springs mounted on the pivot plank. This is

connected to the bogie by pendulum links. A constant coach height is

maintained by air valves.

9.5 TRAMWAY

Side view of a SEPTA PCC car bogie

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Tram bogies are much simpler in design because of their axle load, and the

tighter curves found on tramways mean that tram bogies almost never have more

than two axles. Furthermore, some tramways have steeper gradients and vertical as

well as horizontal curves, which means that tram bogies often need to pivot on the

horizontal axis as well.

Some articulated trams have bogies located under articulations, a setup

referred to as a Jacobs bogie. Often low-floor trams are fitted with non-pivoting

bogies and many tramway enthusiasts see this as a retrograde step, as it leads to

more wear of both track and wheels and also significantly reduces the speed at

which a tram can round a curve. The only 100% low floor tram with pivoting

bogies - Škoda ForCity - uses the Jacobs bogie.

In the past, many different types of bogie ("truck") have been used under tramcars,

e.g. "Brill", "Peckham" and "maximum traction". A maximum traction truck has

one driving axle with large wheels and one non-driving axle with smaller wheels.

The bogie pivot is located off-centre so that more than half the weight rests on the

driving axle.

These bogies are being currently manufactured by ICF/RCF

which have been accepted as standards of the Indian Railways and are of an all

welded light weight construction. Axles are located on the bogie by telescopic dash

pot and axle guide assemblies. Helical coil springs are used in both the primary and

the secondary stages. The axle guide device provides viscous damping across

primary springs while hydraulic dampers are provided across the secondary stage.

Dampers are protected against misalignment by resilient fittings. Isolation of

vibration is effected by rubber pads in primary and secondary suspension.

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Deflection due to the tare weight is almost equally divided between axle and

bolster springs. Weight of coach body is transferred to its bogie by side bearers

pitched 1600 mm apart. Side bearers consist of lubricated metal slides immersed in

oil baths. No vertical weight transfer is effected through bogie pivot and the pivot

acts merely as a centre of rotation and serves to transmit tractive /braking forces

only.

ICF Bogie is a conventional railway bogie used on the majority of Indian Railway

main line passenger coaches. The design of the bogie was developed by ICF

(Integral Coach Factory), Perumbur, India in collaboration with the Swiss Car &

Elevator Manufacturing Co., Schlieren, Switzerland in the 1950s. The design is

also called the Schlieren design based on the location of the Swiss company.

10 SUBSECTIONS OF BOGIE ASSEMBLY

The bogie can be divided into various subsections for easy understanding as

follows:

10.1 BOGIE FRAME

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The frame of the ICF bogie is a fabricated structure made up of

mild steel channels and angles welded to form the main frame of the bogie.The

frame is divided into three main sections. The first and the third section are mirror

images of each other. Various types of brackets are welded to the frame for

supporting bogie components.

10.2 BOGIE BOLSTER

The body bolster is a box type fabricated member made up of

channels and welded to the body of the coach. It is a free-floating member. The

body bolster transfers the dead weight of the coach body to the bogie frame. There

are two type of bolsters in an ICF bogie: body bolster and the bogie bolster. The

body bolster is welded to the coach body whereas the bogie bolster is a free

floating member which takes the entire load of the coach through the body

bolster.In body bolster there are 2 side bearers and a center pivot pin are joined by

excellent quality welding. These three parts acts as a male part and matches with

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the female part welded to bogie bolster. These are very vital parts for smooth

running of a train.

10. 3 CENTER PIVOT PIN

A center pivot pin is bolted to the body bolster. The

center pivot pin runs down vertically through the center of the bogie bolster

through the center pivot. It allows for rotation of the bogie when the coach is

moving on the curves. A silent block, which is cylindrical metal rubber bonded

structure, is placed in the central hole of the bogie bolster through which the center

pivot pin passes. It provides the cushioning effect.

10.4 WHEEL SET ASSEMBLY

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Wheel arrangement is of Bo-Bo type as per the UIC

classification. The wheel set assembly consists of two pairs of wheels and axle.

The wheels may be cast wheels or forged wheels. The wheels are manufactured at

Durgapur Steel Plant of SAIL( Steel authority of India Ltd.) or at Wheel and Axle

Plant of Indian Railways bases at Yelahanka near Banglore in the state of

Karnataka. At times, imported wheels are also used. These wheels and axles are

machined in the various railway workshops in the wheels shops and pressed

together.

10.5 MEASURING WHEEL TECHNOLOGY

The objective of the project is to design and development of an Instrumented wheel

set for wagon, carriage and locomotive etc. This measuring wheel is used to obtain

the lateral and vertical forces running at about 80kmph. The instrumented wagon

wheel set has been fabricated and installed along with hydraulic load actuators,

sensors etc and RDSO Lucknow. Testing at various loading conditions and force

calibration for static dynamic conditions were done on the test rig. The wheel set is

instrumented with a telemetry system for data transmission wireless on running

conditions. The wheel set is ready for field testing for about 3 months.

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PRESENT STATUS

The project is at the completions stage. All the laboratory

trials on the test rig fabricated at RDSO are completed. Now the instrumented

wheel-set is to be installed on a running train for field trials which will take about

3-4 months of time.

10.6 ROLLER BEARING ASSEMBLY

Roller bearings are used on the ICF bogies.

These bearings are press fitted on the axle journal by heating the bearings at a

temperature of 80 to 100 °C in an induction furnace. Before fitting the roller

bearing , an axle collar is press fitted. The collar ensures that the bearing does not

move towards the center of the axle. After pressing the collar, a rear cover for the

axle box is fitted. The rear cover has two main grooves. In one of the grooves, a

nitrile rubber sealing ring is placed. The sealing ring ensures that the grease in the

axle box housing does not seep out during the running of the wheels. A woolen felt

ring is placed in another groove. After the rear cover, a retaining ring is placed.

The retaining ring is made of steel and is a press fit. The retaining ring ensures that

the rear cover assembly is secured tightly between the axle collar and the retaining

ring and stays at one place. The roller bearing is pressed after the retraining ring.

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Earlier, the collar and the bearings were heated in an oil bath. But now the

practices has been discontinued and an induction furnace is used to heat them

before fitting on the axle. The axle box housing, which is a steel casting, is then

placed on the axle. The bearing is housed in the axle box housing. Axle box grease

is filled in the axle box housing. Each axle box housing is filled with

approximately 2.5 kg. of grease. The front cover for the axle box is placed on a

housing which closes the axle box. The front cover is bolted by using torque

wrench.

10.7 BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY

ICF bogie uses two types of brake beams. 13 ton

and 16 ton. Both of the brake beams are fabricated structures. The brake beam is

made from steel pipes and welded at the ends. The brake beam has a typical

isosceles triangle shape. The two ends of the brake beam have a provision for

fixing a brake head. The brake head in turn receives the brake block. The material

of the brake block is non asbestos, and non-metallic in nature.

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10.8 BRAKE HEAD

Two types of brake heads are used. ICF brake head and the IGP

brake head. A brake head is a fabricated structure made up of steel plates welded

together.

10.9 BRAKE BLOCKS

Brake blocks are also of two types. ICF brake head uses the

"L" type brake block and the "K" type brake block is used on the IGP type brake

head. "L" & "K" types are so called since the shape of the brake blocks resembles

the corresponding English alphabet letter. The third end of the brake beam has a

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bracket for connecting the "Z" & the floating lever. These levers are connected to

the main frame of the bogie with the help of steel brackets. These brackets are

welded to the bogie frame.

10.10 BRAKE LEVERS

Various type of levers are used on the ICF Bogie. The typical

levers being the "Z" lever, floating lever and the connecting lever. Theses levers

are used to connect the brake beam with the piston of the brake cylinder. The

location of the brake cylinders decides whether the bogie shall be a BMBC Bogie

or a non BMBC Bogie. Conventional bogies are those ICF bogies in which the

brake cylinder is mounted on the body of the coach and not placed on the bogie

frame itself.

10.11 BRAKE CYLINDER

In a ICF BMBC Bogie, the brake cylinder is mounted on the

bogie frame itself. Traditionally, the ICF Bogies were conventional type i.e. the

brake cylinder was mounted on the body of the coach. However, in the later

modification, the new bogies are being manufactured with the BMBC designs

only. Even the old type bogies are being converted into BMBC Bogies. The

BMBC bogie has many advantages over the conventional ICF bogie. The foremost

being that, since the brake cylinder is mounted on the bogie frame itself and is

nearer to the brake beam, the brake application time is reduced. Moreover, a small

brake cylinder is adequate for braking purpose. This also reduces the overall

weight of the ICF bogie apart from the advantage of quick brake application.

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10.12 PRIMARY SUSPENSION

The primary suspension in a ICF Bogie is through a

dashpot arrangement. The dashpot arrangement consists of a cylinder (lower spring

seat) and the piston (axle box guide). Axle box springs are placed on the lower

spring seat placed on the axle box wing of the axle box housing assembly. A

rubber or a Hytrel washer is placed below the lower spring seat for cushioning

effect. The axle box guide is welded to the bogie frame. The axle box guide acts as

a piston. A homopolymer acetyle washer is placed on the lower end of the axle box

guide. The end portion of the axle box guide is covered with a guide cap, which

has holes in it. A sealing ring is placed near the washer and performs the function

of a piston ring. The axle box guide moves in the lower spring seat filled with

dashpot oil. This arrangement provides the dampening effect during the running of

the coach.

10.13 DASHPOT ARRANGEMENT

The dashpot arrangement is mainly a cylinder

piston arrangement used on the primary suspension of Indian Railway coaches of

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ICF design. The lower spring seat acts as a cylinder and the axle box guide acts as

a piston.

THE DASHPOT GUIDE ARRANGEMENT HAS THE FOLLOWING MAIN

COMPONENTS:

Lower Spring Seat Lower Rubber Washer Compensating Ring.

Guide Bush Helical Spring Dust Shield. Circlip. Dust Shield Spring. Protective

Tube Upper Rubber Washer. Axle Box Guide Screw with sealing washer The axle

box guide (piston) is welded to the bottom flange of the bogie side frame.

Similarly, the lower Spring seat (cylinder) is placed on the axle box housing wings

forms a complete dashpot guide arrangement of the ICF design coaches.

Axle box guides traditionally had a guide cap with 9 holes of 5mm diameter each;

however, in the latest design, the guide cap is made an integral part of the guide.

Approximately 1.5 liters of dashpot oil is required per guide arrangement.

Air vent screws are fitted on the dashpot for topping of oil so that the minimum oil

level is maintained at 40mm.

Traditionally, rubber washers have been used at the seating arrangement of the

primary springs of the axle box housing in the ICF design passenger coaches on

the Indian Railways. The rubber washer is used directly on the axle box seating

area. the lower spring seat sits on the washers. The lower spring seat is a tubular

structure and 3/4 section is partitioned by using a circular ring which is welded at

the 3/4 section. On the top of spring seat, a polymer ring called NFTC ring sits.

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The primary spring sits on the NFTC ring. The lower spring seat plays the role of a

cylinder in the dashpot arrangement and is filled with oil. In the dashpot

arrangement, the top portion is called the axle box guide. The axle box guide is

welded to the bogie frame. The axle box guide works as a piston in the Lower

spring seat filled with oil. This helps in damping the vibrations caused during

running train operation.

The axle box guide, which is welded to the bogie frame has a polymer washer

(homopolymer acetal guide) bush fixed at the head. A polymer packing ring and a

guide ring is attached with the Acetal guide bush. These two components act as

piston rings for the axle box guide. In order to ensure that the packing ring and the

guide ring retain their respective place, a dashpot spring is fixed which applies

continuous pressure on the piston ring.

The bottom of the axle box guide has a guide cap with perforations so that during

the downward movement of the axle guide in the lower spring seat, the oil in the

dashpot rushes in the axle box guide. This provides the dampening of vibration in a

running coach.

The guide cap is fixed with the help of a steel circlip. However in the new design

of Axle box guide, the guide cap is welded with the guide assembly and hence the

need of a guide cap has been eliminated. The complete guide and lower spring

arrangement is covered with a dashpot cover also known as protective tube. The

protective tube has a circular ring over it called the dust shield which prevents the

ingress of the dust in the cylinder piston arrangement of the dashpot.

10.14 SPRING SEATING

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As described above, the rubber washers sit directly on the

axle box spring sitting area. Earlier, wooden washers were used. However, with the

development of technology, rubber washers replaced wooden washers. Presently,

RDSO, Lucknow which is a Research, Design & Standardization organization for

the Indian Railways developed a new design for washers made from a polymer

commonly known as HYTREL. Hytrel polymer is a product of M/s DuPont .

Helical spring

The reason for replacement of the rubber washers with the hytrel washers was that

the rubber washers were not lasting for the full Periodic overhaul cycle of the

Railway Coaches which was one year. The washers also had to be replaced in the

coaching maintenance depots leading to lifting and lowering of coaches.

Introduction of Hytrel washers was considered a breakthrough in the ICF dashpot

design. However, the mass scale replacement of the rubber washers by Hytrel

washers without adequate trials lead to massive failure of the axle Box housing.

The hardness of the washers as per the specified limits was to be 63+- 5 Shore D

hardness. Another parameters was the load deflection characteristics of the

washers.

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A study was carried out on a major workshop on Indian Railways and it was found

that the washers were having hardness more than the specified limits. Moreover,

the load deflection characteristics of the washers were also not found to be in line

with the desired specification.

Within 6 months of provision of Hytrel washers on all the main line coaches, the

failure of Axle box housing increased. The reason was the axle box wing cracks.

Hence on examination of the failed axle boxes, it was noticed that the Hytrel

washers were forming a deep groove of 4 to 8mm on the seating area of the axle

box spring seating. They washers were also increasing the diameter of the spring

seating due to continuous hitting of the raised section of the sitting area.

The coaches come to the workshop once in a year. During examination of these

coaches , it was noticed that the Hytrel washers have not only damaged the axle

box housing but also the lower spring seat as well as the Protective tube.

To prevent such damage, RDSO, Lucknow issued a guideline asking the Railways

to provide a delrin liner below the Hytrel washers. However, it was indicated that

these liners are to be provided only on new coaches and in coaches in which new

wheels are fitted.

A look at the drawing of the dashpot arrangement will suggest that this problem is

universal for all the coaches, whether a new coach or an old coach. Moreover, the

provision of the liners below the Hytrel washers will not stop the damage to the

lower spring seat and the protective tube.

10.15 BUFFER HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT

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The wheel diameter (tread) reduces due to

brake application as the brake blocks rub against the wheel tread. Over a period of

time, the wheel diameter reduces up to 819 mm. 819mm is the condemnation

diameter for the wheels. This diameter is also not sacrosanct and is changed

depending upon the supply position of the wheels. The maximum variation in the

wheels on the same axle is permitted up to 0.5 mm, between two wheels of the

same bogie up to 5 mm and among the four wheel sets of the same coach up to 13

mm. The diameter of a new wheel is 915 mm. Hence maximum wheel tread wear

allowed is (915 mm - 819mm) = 96 mm. In order to adjust for the difference in the

wheel tread, a packing is placed under the flange of the lower spring seat. This

packing ring is generally made up of NFTC (Natural Fiber Thermosetting

COMPOSITE) or UHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) material.

The thickness of the NFTC packing ring is equal to 50% of the difference between

the dia of a new wheel and the wheel in question.

Traditionally, 13mm, 26mm, 38mm, 48 mm packing rings are used. They

correspond to wheel diameter of 899-864, 862-840, 839-820 and 819 mm. The

correct buffer height is obtained by measuring the height of the bolster top surface

from the rail level. In case the buffer height is still not obtained even after

placement of the packing ring, then compensation rings are to be inserted below

the axle box spring ensuring that the bogie frame height is within 686 + - 5 mm.

10.16 SECONDARY SUSPENSION

The secondary suspension arrangement of the ICF

bogies is through bolster springs. The bogie bolster is not bolted or welded

anywhere to the bogie frame. It is attached to the bogie frame through the anchor

link. The anchor link is a tubular structure with cylindrical housing on both the

34

ends. The cylindrical housings have silent blocks placed in them. The anchor link

is fixed to the bogie bolster and the bogie frame with the help of steel brackets

welded to the bogie bolster and the bogie frame. Both the ends of the anchor link

act as a hinge and allow movement of the bogie bolster when the coach is moving

on a curved track.

10.17 LOWER SPRING BEAM

The bolster springs are supported on a lower spring

beam. The lower spring beam is a fabricated structure made of steel plates. It is

trapezoidal in shape with small steel tubes on each end. The location of the bolster

spring seating is marked by two circular grooves in the center. A rubber washer is

placed at the grooved section. The bolster spring sits on the rubber washer. The

lower spring beam is also a free-floating structure. It is not bolted or welded either

35

to the bogie frame or the bogie bolster. It is attached to the bogie frame on the

outside with the help of a steel hanger. They are traditionally called the BSS

Hangers (Bogie Secondary Suspension Hangers). A BSS pin is placed in the

tubular section in the end portion of the lower spring beam. A hanger block is

placed below the BSS pin. The BSS hanger in turn supports the hanger. This

arrangement is done on all the four corners of the lower spring beam. The top end

of the hanger also has a similar arrangement. However, instead of the BSS pin,

steel brackets are welded on the lower side of the bogie frame of which the BSS

hanger hangs with the help of hanger block. This arrangement is same for all the

four top corners of the hangers. Hence, the lower spring beam also become a

floating member hinged to the bogie frame with the help of hangers on the top and

the bottom. This allows for the longitudinal movement of the lower spring beam.

10.18 EQUALIZING STAY ROD

The inner section of the lower spring beam is

connected to the bogie bolster with the help of an equalizing stay rod. It is a double

Y-shaped member fabricated using steel tubes and sheets. The equalizing stay rod

is also hinged on both the ends with the lower spring beam as well as the bogie

bolster with the help of brackets welded to the bogie bolster. They are connected

through a pin making it a hinged arrangement.

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10.19 ANCHOR LINK

This is the medium to transmit the draw and braking forces from

body to the bogies and vice-versa.

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11 TESTING OF BOGIES

The RAILQUIP Model RQXL85 Bogie Assembly Stand

was designed to disassemble, assemble, and test dual motor bogies. The entire

Bogie Assembly Stand can be adjusted to different working heights to offer a

comfortable position for a technician up to six feet in height, with adjustable

positioning of axles and gear boxes during lifting and mounting of frames. For

most maintenance work, the Bogie Assembly Stand is independent from the main

workshop crane by using the jib crane for lifting and movement of smaller parts

including traction motors. The Bogie Assembly Stand is designed for all light rail

vehicle bogies with a transverse traction motor arrangement and offers safe, easy,

and ergonomic dismantling, assembly, and testing of bogies. It is equipped with:

One Main Support Frame.

Four Bogie Wheel Supports, each equipped with two rollers, including two

adjustable bogie wheel supports to compensate for worn wheels.

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Two Gear Box Support Stands equipped with two hydraulic cylinders of two

metric tons lifting capacity for height adjustment.

One set of four Locking Devices connected to the main frame and bogie.

One Removable Pressure Test Beam for bogie testing at 30,000 pounds

equipped with two removable supports. The crossbeam is equipped with two

swivel head pressure heads and two hydraulic cylinders at 7.7 tons capacity.

One Compressed Air Powered Hydraulic Pump System.

Four stationary eight-ton capacity electrically powered lift columns with a

computerized central control unit.

12 DEFECTS IN BOGIE ASSEMBLY

bolster for twist, crack, corrosion, etc.

anchor link bracket for worn out or damage.

central pivot silent block if found worn, damaged or rubber has

perished.

rubber sealing cap of centre pivot silent block, if torn or

damaged or perished.

Bolster suspension straps if bent or damaged.

shock absorber fixing bosses if damaged.

spring guide rings if required.

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Cotter and cotter pin at pivot bottom are secured.

Check verticality of pivot.

Clearance between bolster and bogie frame is 57mm(maximum).

Hard wearing plate of the side bearer should be checked for wear

and sharp corners.

Springs having cracks, dents or hitting marks should be rejected

and scrapped. Records should be checked related to rejected

springs with details of defects noticed.

Difference up to 6mm should be made up by insertion of suitable

steel packing.

All the springs should be from same category

Check the bushes in the bogie brake levers.PHENOLIC BUSH

GENERATION – 3 MC NO.-997 should be fitted in brake gear.

Visual inspection of brake beams is important for corrosion,

cracks, or worn out.

Too little or too much gap between rollers and roller ring

Wheel shifted on axle

flange thickness wheel

Thermal Cracks on wheel

Heat Cracks on wheel

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13 RECTIFICATION OF BOGIE ASSEMBLY DEFECTS

Check the bogie thoroughly for any possible cracks.

Check the BSS brackets, axle guides, area surrounding the BSS bracket

and axle guide and all the welding joints of bogie frame.

Checked the condition of BSS brackets or axle guides for worn out or

any damage (limits: 1 mm for axle guide and 0.5 mm for BSS bracket

bush)

41

Bend or damage to suspension straps should be observed.

Check the squareness and alignment of BSS brackets and axle guides

with the help of transverse, longitudinal diagonal gauges and straight

edge.

Axle guide alignment should be checked with reference to the BSS

brackets and recorded.

Check the alignment of axle guides with respect to other axle guides

using master gauges and straight edge.

Some times the brake hanger brackets get Bent, damaged, or worn out

It is quite possible that the holes are not aligned/located as per drawing,

then the brackets may get damaged.

Investigate the BSS bracket bushes and pins if they were damaged or

worn out.

Chalk test the centre pivot pin ‘in position’ or ‘off position’ to detect

cracks.

there should be no leakage of oil from the side bearer oilbath welding

portion.

bronze wearing piece for side bearer, should not worn out more than

1.5 mm in thickness.

Hard wearing plate wear-1.5mm (when it reaches thickness of 8.5mm).

For high speed ICF all coil coaches wear limit is 1.0mm.

Bronze wearing to be replaced when the height reduces to 42mm (3mm

wear). For high speed ICF all coil coaches wear limit is 1.5mm.

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When the spring is to be replaced it should be ensured that the variation

in the height of the spring with respect of another springs forming

either the primary or secondary suspensions already on the bogie

should not be more than 6mm.

Free heights of all the springs should be within the tolerance of ± 3mm.

Springs to be subjected to scrag test, and load deflection test and results

to be recorded in the standard Performa.

The brake blocks should not have worn out to thickness of 20 mm or

below.

Acceptable gap in roller bearings

SKF bearing : 0.0mm to 0.265 mm

FAG bearing : 0.09mm to 0.270mm

KOYO bearing : 0.08mm to 0.185mm

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14 CHECK LIST FOR DERAILMENT INVESTIGATION (ICF ALL COIL

BOGIE)

1. Check wheel tyre profile with tyre defect gauge as shown in plate 45 of IRCA

rules Part IV. No wheel where flange is less than 22mm thick shall be permitted to

run on high speed train.

2. Wheel gauge shall be within 1600-1mm and 1600+2mm.

3. It should be ensured that variation in tread diameter of the wheels selected for

use under coach does not exceed the following permissible limits.\

On the same axle 0.5m

On the same bogie 5mm

On the same coach 13mm

4. Oil in hydraulic dashpot should be checked. Add/Replenish with specified grade

of oil if the oil level is below 80mm (BG),71mm (MG) in tare condition. Over

filling of oil in dash pot should be avoided as it renders the suspension stiff. Level

of oil in dash pot and side bearer should be checked and recorded.

5. Side bearers: Hard wearing plate of the side bearer should be checked for wear

and sharp corners. The plate should be replaced when it reaches the thickness of

8.5mm. Bronze wearing piece should be replaced when the mating surface

reaches 3mm dia i.e. when the height reduces to 42mm.

6. Check the condition of equalizing stay and anchor links and silent block bushes.

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7. Check swing links for crack, wear on the rocking surfaces and elongation. If

there is any sign of elongation or cracking or when the total wear exceeds 3mm the

swing link is to be scrapped.All wing link anchor pins should be replaced during

every POH. The maximum permissible wear on diameter is 1.5mm. Check if

swing link hanger blocks are worn.

8. Check buffer height, and also wooden packing provided to adjust buffer height.

Under tare condition1090 (minimum)1105 (maximum).

9. Clearance between bolster and bogie frame 57mm (maximum)

10. Centre pivot: Check whether pivot is damaged, bent or cracked. Check whether

the bolts holding the pivot to the body are secure and tight. The center and cotter

pin at the pivot bottom should be secure. Check the verticality of pivot. All pivots

should be chalk tested either in position or when they are dropped and the pivots

found cracked should be replaced.

11. Check condition of axle guides. The maximum permissible clearance between

the guide bush and the casing is 1.0mm. Check the bogie frame by using Trammel

gauge.

12. Check the roller bearing: Common defects in the roller bearing are

a) Small pits and peeling of the skins

b) Broken or bent cover ring

c) Wear due to rust

d) Wear on rollers

e) Crack in inner race

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13. Too little or too much gap between rollers and roller ring. This can be checked

by using feeler gauge. Put the feeler gauge in between the roller ring and the outer

surface of the roller and check the gap.

Acceptable gap is –SKF bearing: 0.0mm to 0.265 mm

FAG bearing: 0.09mm to 0.270mm

KOYO bearing : 0.08mm to 0.185mm

14. Springs:

a) No broken or weak spring should be permitted.

b) When the spring is to be replaced it should be ensured that the variation in the

height of the spring with respect of another springs forming either the primary or

secondary suspensions already on the bogie should not be more than 6mm.

Difference up to 6mm should be made up by insertion of suitable steel packing.

c) Free heights of all the springs should be within the tolerance of ± 3mm.

d) Springs to be subjected to scrag test, and load deflection test and results to be

recorded in the standard proforma

e) All the springs should be from same category (i.e. a,b,c) on primary suspension

and secondary suspension separately i.e. category of primary and secondary may

be different.

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15 CONCLUSION

Thus we have concluded that defects in BOGIE ASSEMBLY could be rectified to

the major extent from the given suggestions. It reduces work time, material loss,

wastages, wear & tear and increases productivity and life of bogies.

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REFERENCE

1. Andersson, C. & Abrahamsson, T. (2002). Simulation of interaction between a

train in general motion and a track. Vehicle System Dynamics, Vol. 38

2. Dahlberg, T. (2005). Railway track dynamics - a survey. Research report, Solid

Mechanics/IKP, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

3. Suiker, A. S. L. (2002). The mechanical behaviour of ballasted railway tracks.

PhD Thesis, Delft Technical University, Delft, the Netherlands. Delft University

Press.

4. Zakeri, J. A. & Xia, H. (2008). Sensitivity analysis of track parameters on train-

track dynamic interaction. Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology,

Transaction B: Engineering, Vol. 22

5. Asadi Lari, A. & Rezvani, M. A. (2008). Observation of sinusoidal motion

creating harmonic wavy pattern in the rail vehicle wheel flanges. Iranian Journal of

Science and Technology, Transaction B: Engineering, Vol. 32,

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