Concept of the bearing structure of an open car with convex walls

This paper deals with the use of containers with convex walls to achieve higher operational efficiency. This can increase the useful capacity of the body of the car by 8% in comparison to that of the prototype car. A 12-757 open car manufactured at Kryukovsky Railway Car Building Works was taken as the prototype car. The study presents the results of the calculation of the strength of the bearing structure of this car. The calculation was made using the finite element method in the SolidWorks Simulation software. It was found out that the maximum equivalent stresses in the bearing structure of an open car occurred during Design Mode I and they did not exceed the allowable values. The authors determined the main dynamic characteristics of the bearing structure of an open car. The motion was estimated as excellent. The study also determines the design service life of the bearing structure of an open car. It was demonstrated that the design service life of the bearing structure of an open car exceed 32 years. The results of the study can be used by those who are concerned with the development of innovative open car structures, improvement of the efficiency of railway operations, and strengthening of the leading position of railway transport in the transportation market.