Use of Flat Shock Absorbers in Suspension Units of Traction Electric Motors of Diesel Locomotives

The paper discusses the problem of rational choice of material and design for traction electric motors (TED) of diesel locomotives. The result of the analysis shows that metallic shock absorbers made of MP material have a longer service life (20 years) and fundamental possibilities for further increasing the load capacity compared to rubber-metal ones. The disadvantage of shock absorbers made of MP material in comparison with rubber-metal ones is the complexity of their manufacture, as well as the porosity of the material, which results in the necessity to protect shock absorbers made of MP material from moisture, dust and dirt metal when used in locomotive carriages. At the same time, shock absorbers made of MP material in TED suspension structure do not have key advantages over rubber-metal ones in terms of the possibility of reducing dynamic loads in the parts and assemblies of the carriage, due to the shock nature of the loads while passing butt track irregularities and the absence of resonant phenomena during locomotive movement. New technical solutions for TED suspension with two parallel sets of rubber-metal shock absorbers and with an annular metal elastic element are proposed. Two utility model patents are obtained for the proposed solutions.