Estimation of the Stability of the Climb-On of a Wheel by the Energy Method

In hunting, the lateral forces are created by pressing the wheels against the rails, which can lead to climb-on of a wheel and the subsequent derailment. The current regulatory documentation assumes the determination of the stability coefficient based on the condition that the wheel rolled onto the railhead returns to its original position under the action of the vertical force created by the weight of the car. In modern mechanics, most of the calculation methods are based on energy principles, which constitute the so-called “analytical mechanics” - an alternative to “vector (Newtonian) mechanics”. The article proposes a method for assessing the stability of a wheel based on the condition of preventing the climb-on of a wheel by comparing the kinetic energy of the hunting of the wheelset with the work of the vertical and horizontal forces acting on the wheelset. The calculations of the options for the movement of an empty car at different speeds were carried out based on the normative and proposed methods. A comparison of the critical (permissible) speed of movement is made according to the named methods. The values of the descent speed were: according to the existing method, 47 m/s; according to the proposed method 66.3 m/s. The existing methodology provides excessively strict conditions for preventing derailment, which does not correspond to the practice of operating cars. The energy approach will allow more effectively considerate various factors affecting on the possibility of a derailment.