Dr. Peter Ramsauer, the German Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development, stopped by the Schaeffler trade show booth as part of his opening tour of InnoTrans in Berlin (September 18-21, 2012). He was accompanied by Raimund Hosch, President and CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH. The delegation was welcomed at the Schaeffler booth by Robert Schullan, Member of the Executive Board of Schaeffler AG, as well as by Simone Purbs, Director of Schaeffler Railway Sector Management, and Dr. Kunibert Schmidt, Manager of Schaeffler’s office in Berlin.

During their brief tour of the booth, Ramsauer and Hosch were shown a selection of Schaeffler’s innovations for railway engineering. The visitors were impressed by the extensive range of components and systems Schaeffler offers for local trains, long-distance and high-speed trains, freight transport and locomotives. One example are Schaeffler’s mechatronic units, such as bearings with integrated sensor systems. They provide data for controlling and monitoring functions, thus increasing safety levels in modern railway traffic. “Schaeffler is a comprehensive mobility and industrial supplier. The railway sector is of strategic importance to us because it is going to play a key role for the mobility of the future,” Robert Schullan, President of Schaeffler’s industrial division, said.

Schaeffler develops and produces solutions for all bearing applications in rail vehicles. Its product range comprises axlebox bearings including housings and mechatronics products as well as bearings and components for traction motors and gearboxes, for wagon joints and tilting technology as well as for doors and numerous other applications. With its INA and FAG brands, Schaeffler has over 100 years of experience in railway engineering.

“Schaeffler is a highly innovative supplier and development partner in the railway industry. This applies for high-speed traffic and local trains as well as freight trains. We can supply what our customers need for all bearing applications in rail vehicles, and we are going to follow and be a part of the changes and developments on the market,” Simone Purbs, Director of Schaeffler Railway Sector Management, said.

Expansion of Accredited Test Centers for Railway Axlebox Bearings
In addition to the expansion of local transit, it is particularly high-speed passenger trains and increased goods volumes in freight transport that represent important trends in railway technology. In Germany and China, Schaeffler is expanding its test labs for railway axlebox bearings that can also be used for extreme test runs such as “high speed” and “heavy haul” applications. In the high-speed range, tests of speeds up to 600 km per hour can be carried out. They can also be used to test axlebox bearings that run in freight trains with high axle loads, i.e. freight volumes of up to 40 tons per axle (“heavy haul”). Additional test stands are currently being commissioned in Schaeffler’s research and development centers in Anting, China, and Schweinfurt, Germany. Over the past few years, Schaeffler has become a major partner for the development of rolling bearing solutions for freight and passenger transport, high-speed trains and locomotives. Functioning as the connection between the wheelset and the bogie frame, the axlebox bearings are subjected to extreme loads here. To increase safety in daily operations and minimize wear and maintenance, Schaeffler has accredited test labs in Germany and China for assessing performance and optimizing axlebox bearings in railway applications.

Mechatronic Functions in Axlebox Bearings for Freight and Passenger Transport
Schaeffler utilizes its core expertise in axlebox bearings and its comprehensive system knowledge and is systematically expanding on these proven mechanical components to create mechatronic modules that represent significant added benefits for operators of rail vehicles in freight and passenger transport. Schaeffler’s so-called “TSS-F” wheelset generator supplies energy for freight trains and enables the future monitoring of cars and freight transport. Schaeffler is currently working on the development of the so-called “TSS-P” bogie monitoring system for special use in locomotives, traction vehicles and passenger transport. The basic module contains sensors for monitoring the temperature, acceleration and speed. This system permits the condition monitoring of axlebox bearings and wheels as well as the detection of various driving incidents, such as lurching. Schaeffler plans to work closely with its customers over the coming months and years to prepare these trendsetting development projects for volume production.

New Axlebox Bearing Units for Higher Performance and Reduced Maintenance
Schaeffler’s FAG-TAROL S bearings represent new axlebox bearing units in X-life premium quality. They feature numerous optimized design details and offer higher load ratings and a longer service life with longer maintenance intervals and reduced maintenance work and costs. These ready-to-install TAROL units have been successful on the market for many years now and have been used in a great number of railway applications worldwide. Schaeffler has continued to develop these tried-and-tested bearing units and has expanded the range of applications for these bearings even under extreme conditions such as increased moisture, while simultaneously reducing maintenance requirements and achieving a more compact design.

Maintenance of Traction Motors is significantly reduced by FAG Housing Units which can be relubricated
Schaeffler offers housing units used in the rotor bearing supports of electric drives – such as traction motors in railway technology – that for the first time can now be relubricated. This significantly reduces maintenance work and costs for traction motors since the motor and the bearings no longer have to be removed and dismantled. In addition, the new FAG housing units are easily interchangeable with existing conventional solutions. This system permits a reduction in maintenance work without any design changes and thus offers considerable potential savings for existing vehicles. The compact and customized design allows FAG housing units to be installed in both rail-bound vehicles and the traction drives of hybrid road vehicles. The greatly simplified design of the housing unit also reduces the amount of work and costs involved in developing new drive systems.

Innovative Coating Technology for Railway Applications
Schaeffler has been a leading manufacturer of innovative surface and coating technology for rolling bearings for many years. Due to increasing product requirements, the importance of coating technology also continues to increase. For railway applications, this means that corrosion and fretting corrosion, wear, friction, slip and excessive voltage on bearings in traction motors and gearboxes as well as on wheelsets can all be prevented or reduced. These coatings, which have brand names such as Corrotect®, Durotect®, Triondur® and Insutect®, are used at Schaeffler to optimize the surface functionality of rolling bearings and precision components under high loads.

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