Springs and Suspension Systems are critical in maintaining the integrity and condition of a rail car and the system components. Wheel loading, balance equalization, torsional stiffness, coefficient & sway are all subject to spring and suspension engineering. Clark can provide load analysis to simulate these conditions prior to field deployment.

Clark’s engineering team can simulate the dynamic conditions of the rail system and ensure the suspension system is capable of supporting the load and track profile.

Clark’s instrumentation engineers set up multiple data acquisition channels measuring strain/load, displacement, stress and strain while collecting multiple channels of data. We use National Instruments, MTS & Somat for control and data acquisition. All instrumentation is calibrated in accordance with Clark’s 17025-2017 Quality Program.

The test infrastructure at Clark includes a wide array of hydraulic test systems including power suppliers, accumulators, and cylinders. We customer configure test programs in modular load frames or our structures floor. The structures floor at Clark Testing is 30’ X 90’ with tie-down for 1.5 million lbs. of clamp capacity on a 48” centerline grid pattern.