This article presents the results of investigations into the practical significance of taking into account all inertial forces in the dynamic equations of motion of a railway vehicle. The results apply to traditional and numerical ways of building the equations. Two types of inertial forces have been investigated: the so-called imaginary forces and equation terms called kinematic-type non-linearities. The first arise from the description of vehicle vibrations, for motion on a curved track, relative to the moving coordinate systems associated with the track. Both types of inertial forces are frequently disregarded in the equations. The main emphasis is put on recent results utilizing numerical simulation, although some reference to earlier work is made. The results show that omission of the imaginary forces can have important practical significance in describing railway vehicle dynamics in certain cases. This paper suggests that some research habits existing for years should be changed.
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