A cause of less friction in rail
Business profile
A cause of less friction in rail Klüber Lubrication develops and manufactures lubricants that increase the reliability of infrastructure and reduce costs
S
ometimes the key to the success of a process or application lies in an apparently minor component, such as a lubricant. Not only can the right lubricant improve efficiency, it can also extend maintenance intervals and reduce the amount of lubricant required – but how can the correct one be selected? In the rail industry a number of factors have to be considered: environmental conditions, shock loads, and vibrations. All have an impact on the choice of lubricant needed to ensure the troublefree operation of trains and maintenance of infrastructure, which is why when considering the choice of lubricant the industry has started taking an holistic view of maintenance and repair costs. How does the choice of lubricant influence the entire system? Lubricants that seem inexpensive at first may bring savings initially, but can result in considerably higher costs for the entire operation if the lubricant doesn’t have sufficient reserve capacity to cope with extremes. Take the lubrication of points, for example: although a small factor, it’s an essential aspect of railway maintenance and if a point fails to switch due to insufficient or poor lubrication, the entire
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rail network could be affected. This is why Klüber Lubrication has developed its in-house switchplate test rig, which simulates different global environmental scenarios, using a range of Klüber Lubrication-developed lubricants that are rapidly biodegradable. The test chamber determines the friction force curve and wear behaviour under sinusoidal cycling and variable environmental conditions, including rainwater.
‘When developing lubricants for the rail industry, Klüber Lubrication is especially focused on making them environmentally friendly. It is of particular importance for friction points where contact with water or the ground cannot be ruled out,’ said Thomas Kamprath, rail market manager at Klüber Lubrication. Ecological footprints In partnership with the rail industry,
Business profile
Klüber Lubrication has been instrumental in significantly improving customers’ ecological footprints. The involvement of Klüber Lubrication in a project to evaluate switchplate sets with a known history of issues due to heavy usage, sticking, lubricant wash off, and debris resulted in a 95 per cent reduction in the consumption of switchplate lubricant. It also brought about a 70 per cent reduction in the manpower required by utilising a rapidly biodegradable lubricant solution.
In partnership with Klüber Lubrication a reduction in the total cost of ownership of more than £140,000 was realised. According to the operations support manager and project initiator at the evaluation site: ‘To have reduced the need to lubricate points at the current frequency not only allowed more effective use of manpower, it also provided a long-term solution that has improved points function and demonstrated our commitment to reduce the impact on the environment. This is important for two reasons: the lubricant is biodegradable and we use less of it. ‘We have tried many approaches previously and only now do we have more knowledge, better understanding and enhanced capabilities because of our work with Klüber Lubrication.’ Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 On-site training and application of Klüber Lubrication’s latest lubricant, Klüberbio ALO 32-4000, demonstrated
significant improvements in adhesion even to plate beds that were not cleaned prior to usage. ‘Right first time’, bidirectional switching, resistance to rain or groundwater wash off and protection against corrosion, Kluberbio ALO 32-4000 assured an eco-compatible, low friction, water resistant film over a temperature range of -30 to 80°C. It gave effective protection against UV degradation caused by long-term exposure to sunlight, thus preventing the ‘gummy’ residues often associated with lubricants that can significantly increase switching forces. This enabled maintenance crews to cut down the time needed to re-lubricate as well as the frequency of re-lubrication from, in some instances, three times a week to once every three weeks. In addition to using 95 per cent less lubricant, Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 comes with an application device that enables more accurate applications, which improves the health and safety of maintenance crews. Rapid biodegradability (≥ 80per cent after 28 days acc. OECD 301 B) also helped the company demonstrate its commitment to the environment. Supporting UK rail Klüber Lubrication has established a reputation as a manufacturer of powerful, innovative, high-performance solutions that add value to OEM’s, operators and end users. The company actively supports the UK rail industry by developing and supplying a broad range of advanced lubricant solutions for rail superstructure and rolling stock applications. With many key original equipment manufacturers’ endorsements, solutions from Klüber Lubrication are geared towards enhancing performance and reliability, energy efficiency and improving service interval longevity – even in challenging conditions – to ultimately reduce operating costs. With more than 2,500 product lines, experts from Klüber Lubrication will be pleased to answer any questions regarding the lubrication of railway components and to offer support to help choose the right lubricant for the right application. Rail switch lubricants from Klüber Lubrication: Klüberbio LO 32-2500 Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 Klüberrail AL 32-2000 Klüberrail AL 32-3000 Klüber Lubrication also supplies a wheel flange lubricant, Klüberrail LEA 62-2000, which is approved for use in Bijur Delimon and REBS wheel flange lubrication systems. Tel: 01422 205115 Email: [email protected] Visit www.klueber.com March 2016 Page 115
A cause of less friction in rail Klüber Lubrication develops and manufactures lubricants that increase the reliability of infrastructure and reduce costs
S
ometimes the key to the success of a process or application lies in an apparently minor component, such as a lubricant. Not only can the right lubricant improve efficiency, it can also extend maintenance intervals and reduce the amount of lubricant required – but how can the correct one be selected? In the rail industry a number of factors have to be considered: environmental conditions, shock loads, and vibrations. All have an impact on the choice of lubricant needed to ensure the troublefree operation of trains and maintenance of infrastructure, which is why when considering the choice of lubricant the industry has started taking an holistic view of maintenance and repair costs. How does the choice of lubricant influence the entire system? Lubricants that seem inexpensive at first may bring savings initially, but can result in considerably higher costs for the entire operation if the lubricant doesn’t have sufficient reserve capacity to cope with extremes. Take the lubrication of points, for example: although a small factor, it’s an essential aspect of railway maintenance and if a point fails to switch due to insufficient or poor lubrication, the entire
Page 114 March 2016
rail network could be affected. This is why Klüber Lubrication has developed its in-house switchplate test rig, which simulates different global environmental scenarios, using a range of Klüber Lubrication-developed lubricants that are rapidly biodegradable. The test chamber determines the friction force curve and wear behaviour under sinusoidal cycling and variable environmental conditions, including rainwater.
‘When developing lubricants for the rail industry, Klüber Lubrication is especially focused on making them environmentally friendly. It is of particular importance for friction points where contact with water or the ground cannot be ruled out,’ said Thomas Kamprath, rail market manager at Klüber Lubrication. Ecological footprints In partnership with the rail industry,
Business profile
Klüber Lubrication has been instrumental in significantly improving customers’ ecological footprints. The involvement of Klüber Lubrication in a project to evaluate switchplate sets with a known history of issues due to heavy usage, sticking, lubricant wash off, and debris resulted in a 95 per cent reduction in the consumption of switchplate lubricant. It also brought about a 70 per cent reduction in the manpower required by utilising a rapidly biodegradable lubricant solution.
In partnership with Klüber Lubrication a reduction in the total cost of ownership of more than £140,000 was realised. According to the operations support manager and project initiator at the evaluation site: ‘To have reduced the need to lubricate points at the current frequency not only allowed more effective use of manpower, it also provided a long-term solution that has improved points function and demonstrated our commitment to reduce the impact on the environment. This is important for two reasons: the lubricant is biodegradable and we use less of it. ‘We have tried many approaches previously and only now do we have more knowledge, better understanding and enhanced capabilities because of our work with Klüber Lubrication.’ Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 On-site training and application of Klüber Lubrication’s latest lubricant, Klüberbio ALO 32-4000, demonstrated
significant improvements in adhesion even to plate beds that were not cleaned prior to usage. ‘Right first time’, bidirectional switching, resistance to rain or groundwater wash off and protection against corrosion, Kluberbio ALO 32-4000 assured an eco-compatible, low friction, water resistant film over a temperature range of -30 to 80°C. It gave effective protection against UV degradation caused by long-term exposure to sunlight, thus preventing the ‘gummy’ residues often associated with lubricants that can significantly increase switching forces. This enabled maintenance crews to cut down the time needed to re-lubricate as well as the frequency of re-lubrication from, in some instances, three times a week to once every three weeks. In addition to using 95 per cent less lubricant, Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 comes with an application device that enables more accurate applications, which improves the health and safety of maintenance crews. Rapid biodegradability (≥ 80per cent after 28 days acc. OECD 301 B) also helped the company demonstrate its commitment to the environment. Supporting UK rail Klüber Lubrication has established a reputation as a manufacturer of powerful, innovative, high-performance solutions that add value to OEM’s, operators and end users. The company actively supports the UK rail industry by developing and supplying a broad range of advanced lubricant solutions for rail superstructure and rolling stock applications. With many key original equipment manufacturers’ endorsements, solutions from Klüber Lubrication are geared towards enhancing performance and reliability, energy efficiency and improving service interval longevity – even in challenging conditions – to ultimately reduce operating costs. With more than 2,500 product lines, experts from Klüber Lubrication will be pleased to answer any questions regarding the lubrication of railway components and to offer support to help choose the right lubricant for the right application. Rail switch lubricants from Klüber Lubrication: Klüberbio LO 32-2500 Klüberbio ALO 32-4000 Klüberrail AL 32-2000 Klüberrail AL 32-3000 Klüber Lubrication also supplies a wheel flange lubricant, Klüberrail LEA 62-2000, which is approved for use in Bijur Delimon and REBS wheel flange lubrication systems. Tel: 01422 205115 Email: [email protected] Visit www.klueber.com March 2016 Page 115
