Structural Reengineering of the TB1014 Bogie Bolster with Air Spring Secondary Suspension Using the Finite Element Method

Dimas Said Shodiqul Rahmad (Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun)
Ilham Satrio Utomo (Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun)
Dadang Sanjaya Atmaja (Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun)
Dimas Adi Perwira (Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun)
Fadli Rozaq (Politeknik Perkeretaapian Indonesia Madiun)
Alfi Tranggono Agus Salim (Politeknik Negeri Madiun)

Journal of Railway Transportation and Technology
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): November

The bogie bolster is a critical component that transfers vertical and lateral loads between the carbody and the bogie frame. This study evaluated the structural safety of a reengineered TB1014 bogie bolster in which the coil-spring secondary suspension was replaced with an air spring, and compared it with the original coil-spring bolster under identical conditions. A three-dimensional finite element model, built in SolidWorks and analyzed in Ansys Workbench 2024, was subjected to the static overload cases of UIC Code 515-4, with the vertical overload applied at the center pivot and side bearers simultaneously as a conservative envelope. The model was verified through a mesh-convergence study and reaction-force equilibrium; it was not physically validated. Under vertical loading, the air-spring bolster produced a maximum von Mises stress of 161.56 MPa and a deflection of 0.699 mm, versus 167.08 MPa and 1.030 mm for the coil-spring design. Under combined transverse-and-vertical loading, the values were 142.56 MPa and 0.659 mm versus 168.06 MPa and 1.032 mm. Both designs remained below the 245 MPa yield strength of SS400, with factors of safety of 1.52–1.72 and 1.46–1.47, respectively. Within a linear static analysis, the reengineered bolster satisfies the static strength requirement with a higher margin.