Evaluation of the operational reliability and forecasting of the operating life of the power train of the freight diesel locomotive fleet

The article provides analysis of the passivity of various options for the rational use of the fleet of diesel locomotives with the pur - pose of improving the operational reliability indicators of diesel engines installed on freight diesel locomotives. The rationality of the use of mathematical statistical methods, with their application to in-service diesel engines installed on diesel locomotives, was assessed with the use of the accumulated statistical data on breakdowns/disorders of main-line diesel locomotives of State Company “Lietuvos geležinkeliai” (Lithuanian Railways). On the basis of technical documentation, with the use of the results of comparative tests and practically approbated indirect diesel engine reliability criteria, the comparative assessment of the operating life of in-service diesel engines installed on freight diesel locomotives has been performed. In order to substantiate the adequacy of tests, the adaptation of the programme modules of mathematical computer simulation of the parameters of diesel engines of the fleet operated by Lithuanian Railways. The differences between the results established by the experiment and simu - lated by the computer do not exceed 5–7 %. The indirect criteria of evaluating the mechanical and thermal load of parts of diesel engines installed on diesel locomotives have been selected and adapted. An algorithm of the methodology for the evaluation of the reliability criteria of diesel engines installed on diesel locomotives and forecasting of the operating life has been developed. It has been implemented in the form of a mathematical simulation programming complex