This International Standard specifies the requirements for testing items of equipment intended
for use on railway vehicles which are subsequently subjected to vibrations and shock owing to
the nature of railway operational environment. To gain assurance that the quality of the
equipment is acceptable, it has to withstand tests of reasonable duration that simulate the
service conditions seen throughout its expected life.
Simulated long-life testing can be achieved in a number of ways each having their associated
advantages and disadvantages, the following being the most common:
a) amplification: where the amplitudes are increased and the time base decreased;
b) time compression: where the amplitude history is retained and the time base is decreased
(increase of the frequency);
c) decimation: where time slices of the historical data are removed when the amplitudes are
below a specified threshold value.
The amplification method as stated in a) above, is used in this standard and together with the
publications referred to in Clause 2; it defines the default test procedure to be followed when
vibration testing items for use on railway vehicles. However, other standards exist and may be
used with prior agreement between the manufacturer and the customer. In such cases test
certification against this standard will not apply. Where service information is available tests
can be performed using the method outlined in Annex A. If the levels are lower than those
quoted in this standard, equipment is partially certified against this standard (only for service
conditions giving functional test values lower than or equal to those specified in the test report).
Whilst this standard is primarily concerned with railway vehicles on fixed rail systems, its wider
use is not precluded. For systems operating on pneumatic tyres, or other transportation
systems such as trolleybuses, where the level of shock and vibration clearly differ from those
obtained on fixed rail systems, the supplier and customer can agree on the test levels at the
tender stage. It is recommended that the frequency spectra and the shock duration/amplitude
be determined using the guidelines in Annex A. Equipment tested at levels lower than those
quoted in this standard cannot be fully certified against the requirements of this standard.
BS EN 61373:2010 history
0000 BS EN 61373:2010(2012)
2010BS EN 61373:2010 Railway applications. Rolling stock equipment. Shock and vibration tests
1999BS EN 61373:1999 Railway applications. Rolling stock equipment. Shock and vibration tests