Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, Engineering, Transportation
9
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
A Monte Carlo Based Method for Assessing Energy-Related Operational Risks in Railway Undertakings Piotr Gołębiowski, Jacek Kukulski, Ignacy Góra, Yaroslav Bolzhelarskyi Applied Sciences Switzerland, 2026 The main task of a railway undertaking is to transport passengers and/or freight safely and cost-effectively. This task is enabled by the use of energy carriers. Since most of the rolling stock operated by major railway undertakings is electric, an additional area of activity involves managing electricity consumption and supply processes. Every business activity entails risk, including energy-related operations. The aim of this paper is to develop a method for assessing the risks associated with a railway undertaking from an electrical perspective and, based on this method, to perform such an assessment. As part of the research, a universal risk assessment approach based on the M_o_R® (Management of Risk) methodology was developed. Risk identification was performed using the risk description principle, followed by risk estimation. The study proposes national-level variables and a procedure for determining them using publicly available data. Risk assessment and process evaluation were carried out using Monte Carlo simulation as a probabilistic tool for uncertainty propagation. As a result, the potential losses and gains that a railway undertaking may experience from an electrical perspective were estimated for scenarios in which the identified risks materialize.
DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT FOR LOCATING LOGISTICS FACILITIES IN TRANSPORT NETWORKS Jakub MURAWSKI, Aleksandra PANEK, Piotr FRANKE, Yaroslav BOLZHELARSKYI Transport Problems, 2025 This paper addresses the problem of locating logistics facilities within transport networks, with a particular focus on logistics hubs. A systematic literature review highlights key trends and gaps in facility location theory. Building on these findings, the authors propose a comprehensive decision-support method that combines a genetic algorithm with multi criteria decision-making (MCDM). A genetic algorithm is used to explore a vast solution space, representing the transport network’s structure through a matrix-based chromosome and enabling the simultaneous selection of hub locations and cargo flow allocation. The MCDM stage supports the evaluation and ranking of alternative network scenarios based on economic, operational, environmental, and social criteria. The approach was validated in a case study that demonstrated its effectiveness in identifying cost-efficient, strategically valuable facilities. The method supports strategic infrastructure planning and operational decision-making while remaining adaptable to future logistics challenges.
RISK ASSESSMENT IN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK PLANNING Piotr Gołębiowski, Ignacy Góra, Yaroslav Bolzhelarskyi Archives of Transport, 2023 Rolling stock planning is one of the steps in the traffic planning process considered from the railway undertaking's point of view. It is directly related to the efficiency of rolling stock utilisation, which should be ensured at the highest possible level in the case of rail transport. The planning work stage is subject to certain risks (threats and opportunities), which, if they materialise, will impact it. It, therefore, makes sense to carry out analyses that can anticipate specific events in good time and introduce appropriate countermeasures in advance. This article aims to conduct a risk assessment process concerning rolling stock planning. It was assumed that the considerations were carried out based on the M_o_R (Management of Risk) methodology. Based on this methodology, risk identifica-tion and risk analysis (estimation of risk impact) were carried out. Risk assessment was carried out using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The work identified sixteen risks that represent threats. The principle of risk description was used to identify risks. It requires indicating for each risk the reason for its occurrence and the effect it may have. As a part of risk estimation, variables were selected to assess each risk's impact on the objectives of the stage. Publicly available statistical data were used to define the variables. The variables were expressed in monetary units. The work identified five variables describing impact, which were assigned to the individual risks. As a trian-gular probability distribution was used for the variability of impact description, the variable's minimum, most likely, and maximum value was identified. A risk assessment was carried out for only two impact description varia-bles (for those variables used to describe the impact of the most significant number of risks). For each variable, statistical parameters were indicated and analysed. The resulting value of the variable describing the impact was then read out for each percentile, and the expected value of the risk was calculated. A detailed risk assessment was made for the lower, middle and upper quartiles. A histogram of the incidence of each variable value was presented, and an assessment was made.
DETERMINING THE ENERGY OF IMPACT OF A RAILROAD ROLLING STOCK WHEELSET WHEN DERAILING OVER REINFORCED CONCRETE SLEEPERS USING IMPACT TRACE PARAMETERS Yaroslav Bolzhelarskyi, Olena Bal, Josyp Luchko, Vitalii Kovalchuk Eastern European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 2023 The object of research is reinforced concrete sleepers that are subjected to the impact of a wheel in a railroad rolling stock. A procedure is given to theoretically estimate the energy at the impact of a wheel into a reinforced concrete sleeper when a rolling stock wheelset derails. Experimental studies of the geometric parameters of impact traces that occur on reinforced concrete sleepers, depending on the height of the center of mass of the striker above the impact site, were conducted. Based on the results of the experiments, the average geometric parameters of the impact traces were obtained. It was established that the dependence of impact traces on the height of the center of mass of the striker above the place of impact into the reinforced concrete sleeper has a non-linear distribution. Experimental studies of the effect of the location of the reinforced concrete sleeper base on the geometric parameters of impact traces were conducted. It was established that the location of the reinforced concrete sleeper on a solid base and on crushed stone ballast does not exert a significant effect on change in the geometric parameters of impact traces. The obtained experimental values are within the limits of 3σ determined for the rigid abutment of the sleeper. It was established that when testing a reinforced concrete sleeper in a crushed stone box, the amount of energy depends on the height of the striker. At a height of 0.95 m, the amount of energy absorbed by the sleeper together with the ballast was 475 J, and at a height of 1.42 m – 710 J. Analytical dependences were obtained between the length of the face of the impact trace and the amount of absorbed energy, as well as the depth along the direction of the force and the amount of absorbed energy. It was established that the length of the impact trace has an extremum, which does not allow recommending this parameter for estimating the amount of absorbed energy for energy values E<200 J. To determine the amount of energy absorbed by the sleeper, it is recommended to use the parameter of the depth of the impact trace
MODELLING OF THE SHAPE OF RAILWAY TRANSITION CURVES FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF PASSENGER COMFORT Krzysztof Zboiński, Piotr Woźnica, Yaroslav Bolzhelarskyi Archives of Transport, 2021 In the past, railway transition curves were not used. Instead of it, a simple connection of the straight track and circular arc was applied. Nowadays, such simplicity is not allowed due to the increasing vehicle operating velocities. It is mainly visible in the high-speed train lines, where long curves are used. The article aims to develop a new shape of railway transition curves for which passenger travel comfort will be as high as possible. Considerations in this paper concern the polynomials of 9th- and 11th-degrees, which were adopted to the mathematical model of the mentioned shape of curves. The study's authors applied a 2-axle rail vehicle model combined with mathematically understood optimisation methods. The advanced vehicle model can better assign the dynamical properties of railway transition curves to freight and passenger vehicles. The mentioned model was adopted to simulate rail vehicle movement in both cases of the shape of transition curves and the shape of circular arc (for comparison of the results). Passenger comfort, described by European Standard EN 12299, was used as the assessment criterion. The work showed that the method using the 2-axle railway vehicle model combined with mathematically understood optimisation works correctly, and the optimisation of the transition curve shape is possible. The current study showed that the 3rd-degree parabola (the shape of the curve traditionally used in railway engineering) is not always the optimum shape. In many cases (especially for the long curves), the optimum shape of curves is between the standard transition curves and the linear curvature of the 3rd-degree parabola. The new shapes of the railway transition curves obtained when the passenger comfort is taken into account result in new railway transition curves shapes. In the authors' opinion, the results presented in the current work are a novelty in optimisation and the properties assessment of railway transition curves.
Method of determining the locomotive engine specific fuel consumption based on its operating conditions Lukasz Rymaniak, Pawel Daszkiewicz, Jerzy Merkisz, Yaroslav V. Bolzhelarskyi Aip Conference Proceedings, 2019 The paper presents considerations regarding the process of determining the fuel consumption from diesel locomotive engines. In order to know the actual fuel consumption for a given engine, depending on the parameters of the drive system operation, it is necessary to carry out activities aimed at determining its operational indicators. This can be achieved by performing tests in real driving conditions or calculating fuel consumption using a calculation method based on the engine operating conditions. The paper presents the fuel consumption of a Stage II approved locomotive engine, which is used to drive various types of off-road machines and rail vehicles. The presented results of fuel consumption include the values determined on the resistor at set operating points and in real operating conditions. Using the assumptions of the vehicle’s operating time density characteristics, a computational method for assessing the fuel consumption of traction locomotives was developed. When comparing the results of bench and real measurements, the influence of the work parameters variability on fuel consumption was determined. In the summary, conclusions regarding the developed method were formulated, and reference was made to the possibility of using this tool to assess the ecological indicators of rail vehicles.
Determination of integrated indicator for analysis of the traffic safety condition for traction rolling stock 12th International Conference on Intelligent Technologies in Logistics and Mechatronics Systems Itelms 2018, 2018
Evaluation of the stressed-strained state of crossings of the 1/11 type turnouts by the finite element method Vitalii Kovalchuk, Yaroslav Bolzhelarskyi, Bogdan Parneta, Andriy Pentsak, Oleksiy Petrenko, et al. Eastern European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 2017 We carried out evaluation of the stressed-strained state of crossings of turnouts by the finite element method in the Ansys programming complex. It was established that under conditions of three-axial compression, at large stresses of vertical compression, the cracks of multi-cycle metal fatigue of the crossing develop. It was found that the development of defects by the code DS 14.1-14.2 on the rolling surface of the cast part of a wing rail and the crossing’s core occurs due to high contact stresses near the edge of the working face of a wing rail and the crossing’s core. They occur in this region in the form of cyclically repeated and sign-alternating normal and tangential stresses from cyclically recurring power impacts from the wheels of rolling stock of railroad transport. It was established that for the normal stresses, values that are maximal by absolute magnitude correspond to the moment when a wheel passes the estiamted cross section of the crossing. For the tangential stresses, on the contrary, at the moment when the wheel is over the estimated cross section, their magnitude is close to zero. The obtained results of the stressed-strained state of crossings are necessary for the optimal design of transverse and longitudinal profiles of the crossing. This will make it possible to extend operation life cycle of the crossings of turnouts and save state budget resources for their current maintenance and repair.
Longitudinal vibrations of viscoelastic longitudinally nonuniform rod under power load distributed along its length B. Gera, M. Sitarz, Ya. Bolzhelarskyi, and Mathematical Modeling and Computing, 2016 In this article, the dynamic behavior of a moving elongated object is simulated using the relations for a viscoelastic rod, which moves at a constant speed under the action of traction force and distributed along its length external forces of resistance. We investigate the change of displacements and internal forces after the sudden application in the rod section of the local force directed longitudinally. The correlations of the initial boundary value problem that describes the dynamic behavior of the rod are written down, and its solution is obtained in the form of a series expansion in terms of eigenfunctions. For a viscoelastic rod consisting of three connected uniform rods, the analysis of wave processes induced by the application to the rod of a sudden concentrated force that resists the motion is carried out. This affects the motion of the rod as a whole, and induces the wave processes, the propagation and reflection of waves on the inner surfaces of joints. The comparison is performed for the behavior of an elastic, piecewise nonuniform rod and a viscoelastic rod with different mechanical characteristics, where the waves during their propagation are damped and smoothed. Динамiчну поведiнку рухомого видовженого об’єкта змодельовано з використанням спiввiдношень для в’язко-пружного стрижня, котрий рухається зi сталою швидкiстю пiд дiєю сили тяги та розподiлених по його довжинi сил зовнiшнього опору. Дослiджено змiну перемiщень i внутрiшнiх сил пiсля раптового прикладання в його перерiзi локальної сили у поздовжньому напрямку. Записано спiввiдношення початково-крайової задачi, що описує динамiчну поведiнку стрижня, та отримано ї ї розв’язок у виглядi розвинення в ряд за власними функцiями. Для в’язко-пружного стрижня, що складається з трьох з’єднаних однорiдних стрижнiв, проведено аналiз хвильо-вих процесiв, викликаних раптовим прикладанням в областi стрижня зосередженої сили, що чинить опiр руховi. Це впливає на рух стрижня як цiлого, а також викликає хвильовi процеси, проходження i вiдбивання хвиль на внутрiшнiх поверхнях з’єднань. Приведено порiвняння поведiнки пружного кусково-неоднорiдного стрижня та в’язко-пружного стрижня з рiзними механiчними характеристиками, де хвилi пiд час поширення загасають i згладжуються.
