High-speed grinding is a preventive technique that gently removes embrittlement and cracks in the rail surface. Following successful deployment of a high-speed grinding train in Germany, a second train with higher output is about to enter service. A logical interpretation of preventive maintenance would be to avoid cracking right from the start. Removing only 0,1 mm a form of wear prevents cracks from forming in the rail head surface. On the other hand, this requires more frequent grinding and re-grinding. With its high-speed grinding technique, Vossloh Rail Services has come up with a unique preventive grinding method. Thanks to a working speed of 80 km/h, the grinding train can be used without disrupting the regular timetable. Even when pathed between high-frequency services, a high-speed grinding train can be operated with very little upstream preparation. High-speed grinding is a much 'gentler' technique than conventional grinding in terms of its effect on the rail head. Conventional grinding or milling machines are used less frequently as they remove much more material in a single pass. Yet just as in the case of dental hygiene, regular brushing is preferable to less frequent drilling. With high-speed grinding, the grinding stones are not driven by special motors but dragged rolling along the rail. The inclined angle of the stones results in a relative motion lateral to the rail head. In January 2008 the technique was used for the first time on the German network and dust extractor, the other holds the magazine for the grinding stones, the energy supply system, and the tanks containing the various fluids used during the grinding process.
Preventive grinding to combat rolling contact fatigue
Präventives Schienenschleifen zur Vermeidung von Rollkontaktermüdung
Railway Gazette International ; 167 , 8 ; 32-34
2011
3 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 1 Tabelle
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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