(August 5, 2011)
Bearings must prove their reliability under extreme conditions on Schaeffler Group Industrial’s railway bearing test stands. Special axlebox bearing test stands can simulate travelling speeds of up to 500 km/h. Radial and axial loads, operating temperatures, grease operating life or leak-tightness with waterspray are tested on other test stands.
Schaeffler Group Industrial’s Railway Testing Facility for rolling bearings in Schweinfurt is now one of only two laboratories outside of Russia that are authorized to carry out tests for rolling bearings that are used in means of transport for the Russian Federation. According to Russian law, these laboratories must be certified. The relevant certification tests may only be carried out by accredited testing centers in accordance with applicable requirements.
In order to obtain the accreditation, Schaeffler Group’s Railway Sector Management and Corporate Engineering cooperated closely with representatives from the Russian Federation over a two-year period. Following successful accreditation, the first certifications of FAG TAROL bearings are now being started for the Siemens project “DESIRO RUS”, for which initial operation is planned for the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sotchi. In addition, FAG cylindrical roller bearings are being certified for 200 dual-voltage locomotives of type EP20 which are also destined for the Russian market.
Schaeffler Group Industrial has a range of test stands for assessing the performance of axlebox bearings for railway applications at the Railway Testing Facility at its Schweinfurt location. Travelling speeds of up to 500 km/h can be simulated on special axlebox bearing test stands. All test stands enable test runs to be carried out in accordance with the requirements of European Standard 12082. The function tests carried out in accordance with this standard are used as verification of the suitability of axlebox bearings in real operation.
For example, double row tapered and cylindrical roller bearings in their original housings are mainly tested on the railway bearing test stand AN55. The system, which is operated at constant radial load and varying axial load, supplies data about the behavior of bearings under radial and axial loads, operating temperatures and grease operating life. Since the cooling of the axlebox bearing housings and therefore the bearings caused by the air-stream has a considerable influence on grease operating life, the test stand has been equipped with an air-stream simulation facility that generates wind speeds of up to 10 m/s.
Axlebox bearings and their original housings are tested for leak-tightness with waterspray on another test stand. During the test, axlebox bearings mounted in their housings are constantly sprayed with water, both while stationary and under simulated running conditions. No water may penetrate the sealed spaces of the bearings after various parts of the test.
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