This paper considers the solution to the current problem of studying the restrictions related to auto mode, which is imposed on the pressure in the brake cylinder helping to substantiate its rational characteristics of pressure from car loading. This paper studies in detail the condition for preventing skidding, which provides determination of the maximum permissible pressure in the brake cylinder. The dependence of the pressure in the brake cylinder was obtained from the condition of skidless braking. A function is also derived that is a limitation of the maximum pressures in choosing auto mode parameters such as a function of the permissible maximum pressures in the brake cylinder from the axial load of the car for a speed that determines the minimum value of the adhesion coefficient.

   The results of research on improving the process of pre-painting preparation of car bodies based on modeling the cleaning process and the formation of surface quality are presented. The work carried out a study of the physical and mechanical properties of operational contaminant media located on the body part of the rolling stock that accepted for repair. The results showed that most types of contaminants can be correlated on the Mohs hardness scale with known materials, which greatly facilitates their study. Based on the data obtained, the article proposes a model for cleaning and forming the quality of pre-painting surface preparation, used before applying the paint and varnish coating. The model has practical application in the form of specific technological processing modes given in this paper.

   The transient processes caused by changes in the operating account a significant proportion of the operating time of the locomotive diesel generator equipment. At the same time, in traction calculations, the change in power and fuel consumption by the power plant is assumed to be instantaneous, which can lead to a decrease in their reliability. The methods of statistical processing and regression analysis of experimental data were used in the work. Based on the statistical analysis of the registration data of the on-board diagnostics subsystem of 2TE116U locomotives, a methodology for taking into account the influence of transients on the power plant power level and fuel consumption is proposed and justified. The results obtained make it possible to clarify the parameters of the traction characteristics of the locomotive and can be used when performing operational traction calculations.

   A method for creating a capillary barrier in the subgrade soil of railway pavements by injecting waterproofing compounds has been proposed and justified for use in adverse soil and hydrological conditions and deep seasonal freezing of soils. The implementation of this method allows for the elimination of frost heaving in the active zone of the subgrade during seasonal freezing. For more accurate predictions and determining the depth of the capillary barrier during design, the authors aimed to establish a two-parameter criterion (based on temperature and temperature gradient) for the onset of intensive cryogenic moisture transfer in clayey soils, and its dependence on the plasticity index. The paper describes the formulation, implementation, and presents the results of laboratory experiments aimed at solving this relevant problem. Based on the experiment results, exponential functions for the two-parameter temperature criteria for the onset of intensive cryogenic moisture transfer beneath the capillary barrier have been determined and approximated for various types of clayey soils (within the plasticity index range of 0.05 to 0.13). Additionally, the obtained experimental data have been further approximated based on the plasticity index of the clayey soil.

   The paper describes the field experimental studies which were carried out on active sections of the railway track. The research observed the ballast layer using direct methods to determine the properties of the material and the deformation modulus by dynamic tests from the impact force action through a round stamp using the ZORN ZFG 3.0 device. As full-scale sections, hauls with varying contamination and missed tonnage were selected as well as a section of the cargo yard track where the ballast layer had not been cleaned for a long time. Based on the results of the studies, the links between the abrasions of crushed stone, the resistance of crushed stone to impact on a pile driver and the clogging of the ballast layer were determined. It was obtained the links between the clogging of the ballast layer and the deformation modulus.

   Logistics operators play a significant role in the modern economy, forming not only the relevant service market, but also determining the pace and trends of development of the national economy.

   The changes and transformations of this market require their qualitative analysis, which are the subject of research in this article.

   The paper provides an analysis of the economic, technological and informational transformations of the logistics market, as well as methodological approaches to their formalized representation in optimal planning and management models. A comparative analysis of different concepts of the study of changes in the work of a logistics operator is presented: from macroeconomic models of production and transport planning to models of reengineering of logistics processes at the operational level of the enterprise. It is shown that the use of digital platforms and technologies for the development of individual services of the logistics market is an energy-efficient and resource-saving trend in the development of operational work of a logistics operator.

   The analysis of the indicators of the Novorossiysk port cargo station was carried out and measures for their implementation were developed.

   It was found that the main reasons for the decrease in unloading volumes were restrictions related to geopolitical events in the country, adverse weather conditions in the port, the lack of storage tanks and sea vessels for тrecipients, coronavirus infection in Russia, etc.

   This leads to non-fulfillment of the downtime of local wagons at the Novorossiysk station, which required an analysis and identification of the reasons for non-fulfillment of the downtime of a local wagon on the responsibility of JSC "Russian Railways" according to the elements: "from arrival to delivery", "from the end of the cargo operation to cleaning" and "from cleaning to departure". Among the main reasons for non-fulfillment of the downtime of a local carriage on the responsibility of JSC "Russian Railways": waiting for the registration of redirection, as well as the downtime of wagons without registration of transportation documents due to the prohibition of loading on the West Siberian Road, etc. An analysis of the downtime of local wagons on the responsibility of the consignees was also carried out, which showed its overestimation on the access roads by all customers.

   The main reasons for non-compliance with the standard of downtime of local wagons on the responsibility of the consignees are: untimely approach of ships, malfunction of loading and unloading equipment and mechanisms, arrival of trains outside the plan of their supply, the presence of excessive car traffic to a number of enterprises serviced by the station.

   Currently, the proportion of trains of increased weight and length is growing. There is a need to study the impact of changes in the structure of train traffic on the capacity and infrastructure of the site. With the help of simulation modeling, the throughput of the site is investigated when passing a heterogeneous flow in a changing infrastructure. The issue of determining the required number of elongated tracks to handle the flow of trains of a given structure is being investigated. The expediency of introducing strict specialization of the station's tracks is revealed. The capacity of the station is determined with a different number of elongated paths, the volume of the input stream and the ratio of jets in it. The coefficients that bring the calculated throughput to the one obtained as a result of the simulation are calculated.

   The level of permissible payload of the tracks of the extended cargo fleet has been determined. Based on the experiments, it was concluded that the more diverse the train traffic is in structure, the less dense it should be.

   By adjusting the size of the input stream, it is possible to improve the use of the station infrastructure.

   The paper proposed the concept of a hybrid model of sustainable supply chain based on the combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods with simulation modeling. The possibility of using simulation modeling to describe functional dependencies between the indicators of sustainable supply chain, parameters, and indicators of logistics flows in the implementation of green logistics instruments is shown. The combination of models is necessary to forecast and optimize the values of parameters and indicators of logistics flows in accordance with the selected options of the set of green logistics instruments and considering the limited logistics resources. The proposed approach will improve the sustainability of supply chains as a result of the selection and implementation of green logistics tools.

   The logistics audit is considered an effective tool for company management, designed to analyses and control the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of logistics activities. Every day more and more companies are incorporating logistics audit into their practice as it is an effective tool in today's dynamic business environment. It helps to assess the status and efficiency of a company's logistics management, identify areas for improvement and adjust processes, which helps to improve the quality and productivity of the logistics system as a whole. In addition, it enhances the competitiveness of the company. This paper focuses on the implementation of auditing in transport companies, as so far it has been applied mainly in manufacturing companies to optimize logistics production processes. The paper describes the audit process and analyses the main processes related to logistics in a transport company.

   The paper considers the use of the portside transport and technological systems (PTTS). The study of categorical apparatus is clarified, the role of a systematic approach in the study of complex transport facilities is justified and the basic features of such an approach are formulated such as PEST, SWOT analysis and synthesis; cenological and cognitive analysis and synthesis; management in form and content corresponding to the level of complexity of the object under study. The structure of the links between them is revealed. They ensure a positive synergistic effect of joint application. The logic and meaning of complex PEST and SWOT research, the differences between PEST and SWOT analysis and PEST and SWOT synthesis of complex systems are shown. The main features of the cognitive study of PTTS are presented: the hierarchy of cognitive maps (reducing the dimensionality of tasks and increasing the visibility of research), cognitive synthesis based on blocking and/or creating positive (similarly, negative) feedbacks, impulse modeling; cenological studies: identification of structural connections of PTTS with higher-level systems assessment of the completeness and dynamics of the development of the PTTS technocenosis, management of the development of the PTTS technocenosis.

   Currently, due to the development of science and technology based on the principles of digitalization and intellectualization, the complication and formation of new transport and logistics chains, new environmental and social challenges, measures are needed to ensure the balanced development of types of hub transport and effective infrastructural and technological interaction. Preliminary parameterization of nodal infrastructural and technological interaction allows us to draw conclusions about the principles of zone formation, the correspondence of modes of transport and points of nodal interaction, as well as their locations. To develop a comprehensive dynamic criterion for evaluating the nodal structure, a comparative analysis of indicators is carried out depending on the degree of their impact on the structure of the node according to the criteria of decision theory. With the development of a transport hub and changes in the quantitative and qualitative parameters of nodal zones, cluster analysis methods are used to evaluate objects within one.

   Today, the assessment of discrete nonlinear stochastic systems in the vast majority of cases is carried out on the basis of discrete stochastic filtering methods, which provide an optimal assessment of the measured state vector according to the root-mean-square criterion that is based on the discrete Kalman filter circuit and its various modifications.

   The main disadvantage of these filters is the need for an accurate a priori description of the probabilistic characteristics of the measurement interference of the estimated signal.

   At the same time, in real information-measuring and control systems on board locomotives operating under conditions of various disturbances, the statistical parameters of measurement noise either change randomly over time or are known approximately. In such a situation, the use of Kalman filtering methods is not possible. Due to the relevance of solving the filtering problem in a similar formulation, in this article, for discrete nonlinear stochastic systems perturbed by noise with unknown distribution densities, the problem of their robust recurrent estimation is solved based on a locally optimal criterion for the robustness of the estimate.

   An important feature of the developed robust estimation algorithm is its dimension, which coincides with the dimension of the object being assessed (while the dimension of modern filtering algorithms significantly exceeds the dimension of the object’s state vector).

   This makes it possible to dramatically reduce computational costs when implementing the proposed algorithm, which is very important for on-board navigation and control systems of locomotives.

   The purpose of the study is to show the benefits of providing and unifying
the main characteristics of multifunctional diagnostic complexes (MDC), to provide algorithmic, software and hardware, the elements of which can be held in various types of rolling stock, while forming an almost continuous monitoring section of railway tracks.

   A new approach is proposed based on the aggregation of mathematical and software combining the mathematical apparatus for processing arrays of quasi-random data and neural network models, which would allow limiting the volume of training samples with sufficient accuracy of processing both graphical and tabular information obtained during the operation of track measuring devices on railways.

   Scientific novelty includes issues of design and development of algorithmic and mathematical software; the resource will be able to work with the latest information from various diagnostic tools and software and hardware systems.

   The paper presents a new synthesis technique and a new structural organization of the microprogramming automaton, which can be used not only in the construction of functional converters of intelligent sensors in ASPSS, in specialized interfaces and input-output blocks of the monitoring system with specialized interfaces. The development of algorithms for processing information from sensors and assessing the current parameters of the technological process is one of the main functions of programming a digital automatic emergency protection system. With the help of these algorithms, decisions are made on the need for action at the enterprise to prevent a possible accident. For this purpose, software tools such as signal processing units, control programs are used.

   The paper proposes a method for implementing an intelligent software module based on neural networks for visualization and automatic analysis of the characteristics of information signal spectra and destructive influences. A procedure is given for selecting and creating a machine learning model that allows identifying the presence of destructive effects and its signs. The neural network model is trained in a cloud environment using a GPU. A specialized library was used to train the neural network model. Training is implemented on the parameters of the neural network, which characterize the number of times the dataset passes through the neural network in the forward and reverse directions. As a result of training, graphs were obtained characterizing the dependence of errors on the number of epochs of model training. An algorithm for identifying power characteristics, the width of the spectrum of destructive effects in the spectrum of an information signal, and an intelligent software module (script) for their automatic analysis has been developed. The mechanism for analyzing the spectrum width and power of destructive influence in the spectrum of an information signal includes software and machine learning models for recognizing text in images.

   The paper considers the problems of existing methods of diagnosing elements of the contact network. It has been presented a statistical analysis of the causes of failures of elements of the contact network in recent years. The authors describe a methodology for assessing the residual life of insulators and propose a way to improve methods for diagnosing the condition of insulators. The authors propose a method for external diagnosis of the condition of the insulator for further decision-making on extending its service life. An algorithm for diagnosing insulators using the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is described. The topic under consideration will be of interest to specialists in the field of power supply of railway transport and external power supply of the energy system. The issue of the possibility of using UAVs to diagnose insulators requires further study.

   The paper considers methodology for creating intelligent systems for analyzing energy losses in traction networks including goals, objectives, functional composition, structure, as well as information bases of the intelligent system. The directions of research on optimization of power consumption modes, the structure of databases and knowledge bases are highlighted. In order of the developed intelligent system, the problem of assessing energy losses in traction networks and transformers and the efficiency of the train traction power supply system was studied. Factors influencing the components of power consumption have been identified, generalizing dependences of energy losses have been obtained for inclusion in the knowledge bases of expert systems.

   The influence of temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of the composite material has been studied. As the matrix of the polymer composite, epoxy-diane resin of the ED-20 brand was used using different types of fillers. The experimental data were obtained by instrumental indentation and thermal analysis. A relative change in indentation depth was used to estimate the creep rate of the material. Based on the obtained integral thermogravimetric curves of TG, a quantitative change in the mass of the sample during decomposition was determined, and based on differential thermogravimetric curves of DTG, the temperature range of destruction, the temperature of the beginning and end of decomposition were determined. It has been shown that the introduction of fillers into the polymer matrix has a significant effect not only on viscoelastic properties, but also on thermal stability as a result of structural transformations and changes in the mobility of molecules.

   The invention proposes a design implementing the principle of self-regulation with the help of an elastic element which improves its value at increasing cutting forces, for working out the technical solution of the “intelligent” tool with control of the front angle of the cutting wedge for section turning operations. It is considered the results of simulating conditions of equilibrium of forces acting on cutter rotary sector with variable front angle at section operations. The technical feasibility of the proposed technical solution with front angle self-regulation has been confirmed. The recommendations on selection of parameters of self-adjustment unit are obtained. It is determined the conditions of most effective use of proposed cutter device. The technical feasibility of the proposed technical solution for an “intelligent” tool for controlling the cutting process along the front angle of the cutting wedge during cutting operations has been confirmed.

   The paper considers a mathematical model of the process of controlling the front angle of the second wedge at turning operations of the section. It is carried out a synthesis of the control system which provides the required indicators of the quality of its reaction to periodic processes of formation and collapse of shear surfaces during chip formation. Based on the studies carried out, the possibility and prospects of creating an "intelligent" tool using the control of the front angle of its wedge depending on the cutting conditions have been confirmed.

   The bearing frames of overhead cranes are made of channels of different sizes. Linear radiators are used as a noise source model, since the length of the source significantly exceeds the maximum size of the cross-section. The calculation of oscillation rates for an energetically closed system consisting of rod elements is based on the energy balance equations. Reducing the intensity of sound radiation can be performed either by reducing the vibration power introduced into the frame from vibration sources such as gearboxes of lifting and moving mechanisms, wheelset assemblies and the drum of the lifting mechanism, or by increasing the dissipative properties of the frame elements. This paper presents the calculation of the oscillation rates of the supporting frame and shows the effect of the vibration absorption system on reducing noise levels.

   This paper discusses an approach to determining the sound pressure levels of noise sources that are generated by the air component in the cabins of pile drivers.

   The purpose of research into the noise generation process is to meet sanitary noise standards.

   The air component of noise influences the formation of the sound field in the driver's cab and includes sound radiation from internal and external noise sources. The noise levels generated in the cabin are determined by energy summation. Consequently, each source complies with sanitary standards that will lead to exceeding the maximum permissible values.

   The results of comparative traction and energy operational tests and controlled operation at the landfill of the East Siberian Traction Directorate of the 3ES5K series locomotive No. 1147 manufactured by PC NEVZ LLC in 2021, complete with axial traction control and motor-axial rolling bearings equipped with a locomotive friction activation device (hereinafter – UATL), with locomotive of the 3ES5K series No. 1271 with axial control, not equipped with a UATL (equipped with a standard sand supply). The analysis and generalization of the experimental data obtained, a comparison of the traction properties of the experimental electric locomotive No. 1147 equipped with UATL and the control electric locomotive not equipped with UATL.

   Conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of the use of UATL in freight traffic conditions during operational work at the landfill at the head of freight trains weighing 7,100 tons on the Mariinsk (Mezhdurechensk) – Nakhodka section (even direction).

   The paper described cases related to the formation of "residual patterns" after mechanical turning of the surface of solid-rolled wheels on a wheel-turning machine, the cause is often the wrong mode and conditions for cutting deep gouges and sliders. The problem of leaving "residual patterns" on the rolling surface of the wheel after the turner has set the minimum passage of the cutter in depth in order to increase the turning performance and preserve, among other things, the minimum allowable rim thickness allowed in operation. In practice, there is an identification of subsurface defects in the locations of such sites that are not described in technical regulatory legal acts for the repair and maintenance of wheel sets of wagons. The problems of ultrasonic control of the rolling surface of solid-rolled wheels by a Rayleigh surface wave when detecting subsurface defects in wheel pairs with a thin rim are shown. In order to prevent the omission of defects in the places of "residual patterns", an eddy current method is proposed, which will be used as a confirmation for the presence of hidden surface and subsurface defects.

   Based on the results of the analysis of information on the destruction and defects of centrifugal nozzles of injection steam coolers (VPO), it was identified the need for selecting a promising material for their manufacture in order to increase their service life. It was described a fundamental approach to carrying out full-scale testing of samples as close as possible to the operating modes of centrifugal nozzles in injection steam coolers including cyclic heating and cooling. Criteria were determined for selecting a promising material for the manufacture of centrifugal nozzles, namely: the structure of the material and the change its hardness, as well as its tendency to crack.

   The paper presents a mathematical model of unsteady braking processes at the level of the “pressing element – brake pad – brake disc” system.

   A feature of this model is that it provides the location of the pressing elements, the geometric dimensions of the brake pad and the pressing elements for changes in the angular and linear vibrations of the brake pad when they interact with the working surface of the brake disc.

   The main parameters that evaluate the non-stationary interaction process are the pitch and lateral movement angles of different edges of the brake pad, which is clearly demonstrated in comparative diagrams of the total vibrations of the upper and right corners of the brake pad, their accelerations and inertial load during braking.

   Analysis of the inertial load diagram shows that the upper corner is more susceptible to separation of the pad edge from the working surface of the disc, provided that the frequency of forced vibrations is lower, while the higher frequency of forced vibrations in the lower edge of the pad does not increase the risk of its separation from the surface of the disc during interaction. In general, the mathematical model makes it possible to analyze the non-stationary interaction process with the pad loading, the location and geometric parameters of the pressing mechanism of a disc-pad type brake device.