UNE-EN 15839:2025

This document defines the assessment of endurable longitudinal compressive forces (LCF) of a vehicle. The endurable longitudinal compressive force is a parameter depending on the vehicle design. It is used to estimate the risk of derailment as a result of being subjected to these forces, under operating conditions.

NOTE 1 As operating conditions may vary in several aspects (infrastructure, train configurations etc.), this document defines uniform assessments of endurable longitudinal compressive force per vehicle in specific operating conditions. One of these endurable longitudinal compressive forces is derived from UIC 530-2:2011, which is based on practical tests performed in ERRI-B12. Other endurable longitudinal compressive forces as the outcome of this document are central input parameters in the methodology of IRS 40421. IRS 40421 derives train and operational parameters from the outcome of this document which are vehicle parameters.

This document applies to the following types of vehicles:

single wagons;

permanently coupled units with side buffers and screw couplers between the vehicles;

permanently coupled units with diagonal buffers with screw couplers between the vehicles;

permanently coupled units with a bar coupler between the vehicles;

articulated units with three 2-axle bogies;

wagons with 3-axle bogies; low-floor wagons with eight or more axles (e.g. rolling road wagon);

vehicles with central couplers;

on-track machines (OTM) as defined in EN 14033-1:2017.

NOTE 2 This document defines the acceptance process to be followed by vehicles that are operated in a way that high longitudinal compressive forces may occur in the trains due to their operational environment (e.g. train composition, braking regime, track layout). Therefore, vehicles among the previous list which are not subjected to high longitudinal compressive forces may not need to fulfil this document.

The following vehicles are not in the scope of this document:

articulated wagons with more than three 2-axle bogies;

locomotives and passenger rolling stocks;

vehicles that are only operated in passenger trains.

Acceptance criteria and test conditions as well as conditions for simulation and test dispensation are defined in this document.

This document applies principally to vehicles which operate without restrictions on standard gauge tracks in Europe (1 435 mm).

NOTE 3 The influence on railway systems using other gauges is not sufficiently understood to extend the scope of this document to gauges other than standard.

NOTE 4 For wagons with central couplers, a need for assessment of derailment risk due to Longitudinal Forces on other gauges (1 524 mm, 1 600 mm, 1 668 mm) has been expressed. The influence on railway systems using

other gauges is not sufficiently understood. This document only introduces some notions to assess it independently from the gauge.