Standardization, metrology and conformity assessment. Practicum

The textbook presents the methodology of practical work established by the work programs, as well as situational tasks. It is planned to use innovative pedagogical technologies in a number of works, such as analysis of practical situations, federal laws, standards and business games. The textbook is an addition to the textbook by M.A. Nikolaeva and L.V. Kartashova "Standardization, metrology and conformity assessment". Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. For university students studying in the areas of training 38.03.06 "Trade business" and 38.03.07 "Commodity science".

Strength and life estimation for assigning the useful life of wheelpairs of high-speed flat wagons

Aim. The most vital unit of railway rolling stock is a wheelpair, as a broken wheel or axle may have catastrophic consequences. Therefore, before the production of a highspeed flat wagon designed for operation at speeds of up to 140 km/h, which is unique for the 1520 mm gauge space, could commence, it was required to research the applicability of the standard wheelpair for high-speed movement. Ensuring the safe operation of a wheelpair involves compliance with the requirements that are to be confirmed by means of assessment of strength and durability parameters [1]. Product conformity assessment may be based on the requirements of standards, whose voluntary fulfilment ensures compliance with [1], or other documents. Methods. The paper describes the computational and experimental methods used for confirming the strength and estimating the life (durability) of wheelpair elements in the probabilistic setting. As experimental data, the authors used the results of full-scale bench testing of wheelpairs for fatigue using the method of rotational bending as it best approximates the loading conditions in operation. The results confirmed the endurance limits of the axle and wheel as parts of an assembled wheelpair. Using design analysis, the authors examined the stress-strain state of the wheelpair caused by installation and operational loads in various running modes. Results. The conducted studies confirmed the wheelpair’s compliance with the requirements of [1–3] in terms of safety factors of fatigue strength and endurance, which eliminates the possibility of hazardous situations in the course of high-speed flat wagon operation. The time to fatigue crack nucleation in wheelpair components was evaluated using the fatigue resistance figures of the parts and equivalent amplitudes of dynamic stress caused by operational loads. It appears that this assessment allows establishing – with the assumed probability of destruction – the assigned useful life of a wheelpair axle at 32 years, which corresponds to the assigned useful life of the flat wagon according to the combined criterion. Corresponding standards and regulations required for developing the container-carrying flat wagon are being updated and a new State Standard is being developed. Conclusion. The conducted conformity assessment established that the flat wagon wheelpair meets the safety requirements of [1] and ensures the absence of unacceptable risks associated with harm to life and health of people, animals and plants, the environment and property of individuals and companies in the course of flat wagon operation.

Uncertainty of measurement and conformity assessment

Knowledge of the measurement uncertainty of test results is fundamentally important for laboratories, their customers and all parties using and interpreting these results. In conformity assessment, a measurement result is used to decide if an item of interest conforms to a specified requirement. Because of measurement uncertainty, there is always the risk of incorrectly deciding whether or not an item conforms to a specified requirement based on the measured value of a property of the item. Conformity assessment can be quite challenging when the entity measured is so close to the tolerance limits of the specification that its uncertainty, however estimated, critically affects decision-making. In such cases, different decision rules can be used to make statements of conformity. The aim of this paper is to provide a survey of methods for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty in testing, as well as to stress the need for appropriate estimation of measurement uncertainty. This paper also aims to assist testing laboratories in understanding the different decision rules used in conformity assessment and level of risk (such as false accept and false reject) associated with the decision rule employed.