Analysis of the prerequisites for the creation of a mathematical model of the functioning of automatic couplings of loaded traction units

Purpose: the article considers issues related to improving the safety of coal transportation due to the increasing demand for energy resources in the world and the growth of export potential to friendly countries. One of the main areas of ensuring the safety of the transportation process is to improve the reliability of the automatic coupling devices of traction units and motor dump cars, and the longitudinal-dynamic reactions that occur in them. The article considers the prerequisites for creating a mathematical model of the traction unit motion, taking into account the factors that influence the occurrence of these forces. Analyzed the prerequisites for creating a mathematical model that allows determining the conditions for ensuring the safety of the transportation process in terms of preventing the rupture of automatic couplings of loaded traction units, dump cars, as well as the possible effect of “running up” (squeezing out cars). Methodology: to compile a mathematical model of a moving unit that accurately reflects the most important features of the dynamic process, a single-mass model is usually used. Methods: when solving the problem of determining the forces acting on the rolling stock, it is proposed to consider the motion of a quarry train as a system of discrete masses in Lagrange coordinates as a function of time t and the initial coordinate of these masses. Practical significance: the need to calculate the arising longitudinal-dynamic reactions in the automatic coupling devices of traction units in connection with the increase in slopes and speeds of movement is substantiated.