Purpose. The article is aimed to analyze the increase in the effectiveness of traditional methods for carrying out shock tests of land vehicles, in order to assess their strength, reliability and durability. Methodology. To achieve this purpose, the authors of the article developed a technique for conducting impact tests and effective algorithm based on the ideas and methodological proposals contained in the UN Guidelines on the “Recommendations for Transportations of Dangerous Goods”. Findings. With the use of the modern programming language SI-Sharp, a specialized software package was created that implements the algorithm for handling shock processes, which has a "friendly" interface with the user of this complex and other software products of the computing environment powered by Windows. With the application of this complex, the results of tests of the tank-container of the model CTL-26/0.4, type UN T14 under different shock loading (collision rates), geometric, inertial and damping parameters of this design were processed. As a result, an objective evaluation of the properties of the tested object was obtained, and a conclusion was made that the calculated shock response spectrum (SRS) was exceeded, its minimum permissible value in the entire spectrum of the investigated frequencies. Originality. For the first time, a complex theoretical and practical approach to the study of the strength, reliability, and durability of transport mechanical structures subjected to impact loads on the basis of the evaluation of the impact response spectra was realized. Practical value. The application of the proposed methodology and the developed software package for carrying out shock tests made it possible to increase the reliability of these tests, to shorten the time of their testing and to process the results. The results of the testing of the tank-container tests showed that this vehicle fully provides the required normative parameters of strength, reliability and durability. This is also confirmed by the fact that after the shock tests carried out in the structure under investigation there were no structural damages, residual deformations and no leakage of the goods transported. The article concludes that it is possible to use the developed technique for carrying out shock tests and implementing a software package for carrying out similar tests of any land vehicles.

Objective: To develop the method to monitor the technical condition of the railway track. Me-thods: A strain-gauge wheel pair is used for continuous recording of vertical and lateral interaction forces in a dynamic wheel–rail system. Results: Stability margin factors of a wagon relative to de-railment have been determined and the defective (prone to derailment) sections of a railway track have been identified with the exact identification of their location (GPS coordinates) on the map using navigation devices. Practical importance: The developed monitoring method makes it possi-ble to promptly re¬gister and eliminate railway track defects

On the basis of analytical method of studying devices for the application of forces on a rail head and numerical method of calculating structural strength the authors have developed a new device for loading the rail head by vertical and lateral forces. The device that simulates force of wheel influence on rail allows applying vertical force on the axis of symmetry and with the offset of ±20 mm simultaneously with lateral force. Due to the lightened collapsible frame and the existence of roller bearings the device is comfortable in use, which contributes to the increase of speed of tests on the influence on track and researches in this sphere.