THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY VEHICLES NEGOTIATING A CURVE

Abstract

Among the fundamental technical conditions of railway transport, the safety of the railway vehicle moving along the track is of outstanding importance. This basic condition requires that the railway vehicle should be retained within the gauge of the track under all operating conditions of the track, loading and speed so that it should not be derailed by any normal service effects. This basic requirement is valid to a greater extent for railway vehicles negotiating a curve because the curve may rightly be considered as a distinguished section of the railway track owing to the particular forces applied on the railway vehicle moving along the curve and those acting against its safety of motion. The aim of this discussion is to determine these particular forces as well as to examine their effect on the safety of railway vehicles negotiating a curve.