R&D AND DESIGN

The main tasks of the All-Union Research and Development Centre for Transportation Technology in the design of freight cars, bogies and components are as follows:

• design of a broad range of freight cars: universal and specialized gondola cars; hopper cars for grain and foodstuffs, mineral fertilizers and construction goods; universal platforms and specialized platforms for timber, containers and machinery; tank cars for petroleum products, liquefied gases and chemical products; and universal and specialized covered cars;

• design of standard-sized cars for efficient transportation of existing and potential future cargo types;

• creation of cars (Tс and Tpr dimensions) with increased load capacity per unit length;

• design and improvement of two-axle bogies with axial loads of 25 and 27 tf, and of three- and four-axle bogies;

• developments to increase cars’ between-repairs  run and decrease timeframes between maintenance, reduce the time and complexity of repair;

• reduction of consumption of materials and cost of production using new materials, innovative design solutions, and new or improved manufacturing technologies;

• increase of resistance to the corrosive and chemical impact of transported cargoes, reduction of operational wear and tear;

• reduction of time required and maximizing convenience in loading and unloading operations.