Bogies

Running gear is the part of the vehicle providing for its connection to the track and accounting for most of its properties. The main part of running gear is composed of bogies. Their concept and design determine both safety and economy of the traffic and reliability and maintenance of the railway vehicle. Development of a high-standard bogie requires a highly qualified synthesis of knowledge from all sorts of areas of technology. Development must respect the given space availability and system interfaces as well as requirements of the relevant standards and regulations.

Railway bogies are divided into driven and regular bogies, or train and tram bogies. Train bogies are further divided to wagon and carriage bogies and engine bogies. A special ground is represented by special-purpose bogies, such as bogies for funicular railways etc.

Every bogie consists of several functional units. The basic part of the bogie is the frame to which the other parts are connected, such as:

• Wheelset (via the wheel node and primary suspension),
• Brakes,
• Drive (in the case of driven bogies),
• Secondary suspension and connection of the bogie to the carriage or wagon frame,
• Air ducts and cabling.

The bogie may also include additional equipment such as:

• Wheel sanding system,
• Wheel flange lubrication,
• Stops,
• Diagnostic sensors and security elements etc.

In the area of bogie development the VÚKV a.s. deals with new bogie design (either separately or in the context of the whole railway vehicle development), adaptations, modernisation and reconstructions of all types of the currently operated bogies.

VÚKV a.s. offers its potential and experience in the following areas of bogie development:

• Project preparation,
• Design works,
• Strength calculations,
• Functional calculations (outline, suspension, braking, driving properties),
• Preparation of prototype manufacturing and technical documentation,
• Approval process support,
• Preparation of manufacturing and technical documentation for serial manufacture,
• Preparation of technical documentation for the operator (description of the bogie, instruction for operation and maintenance etc.).

Development works are often linked to experimental testing. Tests applied to bogies include static strength tests, fatigue and driving tests. All these types of tests are carried out by the VÚKV a.s. testing laboratory.