Ride comfort for passengers remains a pressing topic. The level of comfort in a vehicle can influences passengers’ preferences for a particular means of transport. The article aims to evaluate the influence of changes in suspension parameters on the ride comfort for passengers. The theoretical background includes a description of the applied method for a creating the virtual model of an investigated vehicle as well as the method of evaluating the ride comfort. The ride comfort of the vehicle is assessed based on the standard method, which involves calculating the mean comfort method, i.e., ride comfort index N_MV in chosen points on a body floor. The N_MV ride comfort index (Mean Comfort Standard Method) requires the input of acceleration signals in three directions. The rest of the article offers the results of simulation computations. The stiffness–damping parameters of the primary and secondary suspension systems were changed at three levels and the vehicle was run on the real track section. The ride index N_MV was calculated for all three modifications of the suspension system in the chosen fifteen points of the body floor. It was found that lower values in the stiffness of the secondary suspension system lead to lower levels of ride comfort in the investigated railway passenger car; however, lower values in the stiffness–damping parameters of the primary suspension system did not decrease the levels of ride comfort as significantly.

Automation is a process of handling and transport of products, which allows replacing man’s control by operation of manipulators and robots. It represents a highly complex process, which includes several operations and they are usually performed automatically by particular devices. In this article, a technical design of a universal versatile robotic manipulator for handling with automotive products is presented. The designed device is intended for handling with automotive products with a maximum weight of 25 kg. The technical solution of the manipulator comes from required specifications and operation conditions given by the customer, who will install it as a part of an automatic line. A particularity of the manipulator is the special functionality, which allows handling with objects of both circular and angular shapes. This is ensured by adaptable gripping fingers, which are able to adjust their position by means of a well-considered mechanism. The technical design of the manipulator includes calculation of forces needed for reliable gripping of manipulated objects, choice of a working screw and calculation of the load and carrying out of strength analyses of the main loaded part of the manipulator. Based on results, there is recommended an appropriate material for the manufacture of the device to reach its optimal accuracy of positioning of handled objects during a long-term operation.

This study investigated the fatigue life of welded joints, in particular, the welds of the high-strength steel S960 QL. The welds were created using unconventional technologies by utilising laser and electron beams. The direct application of the research is intended to be carried out through implementing the results towards the design of tracks for the track-wheel chassis of the demining system Božena 5. The producer’s experience shows the damage found in the current track design. The damage occurred during reversing the vehicle on a sand surface. Our goal was to solve this problem. The information acquired in this research will be a very important input factor for further designs of the track made of the tested material and its welds. The analysis of the residual stresses was also part of this study. The experimental research of the tested material’s fatigue life and welded joints was realised on the specimens loaded using cyclic bending and cyclic torsion. These loads were dominant during the track operation. The fatigue life of the tested material was detected using a device designed by us. The measurement results were processed in the form of the Wöhler’s S–N curves (alternating stress versus number cycles to failure) and compared with the current regulations issued by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) in the form of the FAT curves (IIW fatigue class). The achieved research results indicate that the modern welding technologies (laser and electron beams) used on the high-strength steel had no principal influence on the fatigue life of the tested material.

Simulation computations represent a very effective tool for investigating operational characteristics and behaviours of vehicles without having a real product. The rail vehicles sector is typical, in that simulation computations including multibody modelling of individual vehicles (i.e., wagons) as well as entire trainsets are widely used. In the case of designing rail vehicles, running safety and ride comfort are two of the most important assessment areas. The presented work is focused on the research of the dynamical effects of a rail vehicle while running on a railway track created in a commercial multibody model. There is a lot of research focused on the investigation of dynamic performances while a rail vehicle is running on a flexible railway track. The real operation of a rail vehicle meets problems on track, where the stiffness-damping parameters of a railway track vary in transient sections (e.g., the exit of a tunnel). This work brings a contribution to research related to the assessment of the dynamic response of a rail vehicle on a chosen track section. A passenger railway vehicle is chosen as a reference multibody model. Simulation computations were performed for three different railway track models, i.e., for a rigid track model and for a flexible track model defined in two different manners. The stiffness-damping parameters of the rail vehicle are defined symmetrically in relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, e.g., they are the same values for the left and right side. The centre of gravity is not located symmetrically, but it is partially shifted in the lateral direction. This can be observed in the results of wheel forces and their waveforms. There are evaluated values and waveforms of the vertical wheel forces, the lateral wheel forces and the derailment quotient. The obtained results have revealed the influence of the railway track formulation in the model on the output parameters.

Handling machines are increasingly being used in all sectors of the industry. Knowledge of the theory of transport and handling machines are basic prerequisites for their further technical development. Development in the field of manipulators is reflected not only in their high technical level, but also in increasing safety and economy. The article presents results of research focused on the complete engineering design of a manipulator, which will serve as a mean of the oblique transport of pelletised goods. The manipulator takes the form of a platform moving between two destinations by means of an electromotor. The engineering design of the platform including the track and a working principle is described. The design includes analytical and numerical calculations of main loaded components of the platform. Extensive functional and dimensional calculations serve as the base for preparation of the technical documentation. An important step will be the creation of a parametric model of the force and moment load acting on a platform drivetrain. Based on this, optimal parameters of an electromotor and its dimensional calculation are performed.

This paper presents results of selected load cases for the modified freight wagon bogie frame. It comprises of two main parts. The first part is addressed to the introduction of a modified freight wagon bogie. There are described conditions for rail vehicles approval and mainly load cases which every bogie must meet for commissioning. The next part deals with computer modelling and analyses of a frame of this modified freight wagon bogie. It was analysed using the FE method and calculations were focused on the assessment of stresses of the frame structure under exceptional load. Calculation conditions were based on valid standards.