RIDE QUALITY OF AUTORACK CARS

In order to measure the ride quality of freight cars used in the transportation of automobiles, an over-the-road instrumented test was conducted. Various suspension arrangements were tested including several that contained supplementary hydraulic dampers. Their recent application to certain autorack cars posed a question as to their effectiveness and contribution to vertical ride quality and it was considered important to evaluate their performance. Further, other suspension arrangements not incorporating the use of supplementary hydraulic dampers were tested to determine if ride quality could be improved in other ways. The object of these tests, then, was to determine the effect that various levels of spring stiffness, friction damping, and the application of supplementary hydraulic damping devices have on the ride quality of an autorack car. Ride quality, for the purpose of this test report, will be defined as the level of vertical acceleration (both RMS and magnitude) measured at the longitudinal car center line over the body centerplate on the A-deck.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contributed by the Rail Transportation Division of ASME for presentation at the Winter Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November 27-December 2,1977.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Two Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10016-5990
• Authors:
  • Greenfield, L P
  • MCLEAN, L A
  • Wolf, E J
• Publication Date: 1977

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 10 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile rack cars; Dampers; Damping (Physics); Data collection; Dynamics; Hydraulic equipment; Instrumentation; Ride quality; Spring; Test trains; Trucks; Vehicle design
• Uncontrolled Terms: Vertical dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Hydraulic dampers; Trailer train
• Subject Areas: Design; Motor Carriers; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168013
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Report/Paper Numbers: 77-WA/RT-7 Conf Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 30 1978 12:00AM