Transcript Slide 1

Greenbrier Rail Services
DTE Rail Services, Inc.
Railcar Maintenance Management Seminar
Wheel Sets and Wheel Shop Practices
May 23, 2008
1
Greenbrier Rail Services
• Greenbrier Rail Services is a unit of The
Greenbrier Companies.
• We have a network of 12 wheel set
reconditioning facilities throughout the US and
Mexico.
• We provide over 350,000 wheel sets to the
railroad industry annually, mostly for the freight
car maintenance market.
• Our customers include Class I Railroads, Short
Line and Regional Railroads, Utility Companies,
Leasing Companies, Car Repair Shops and New
Car manufacturers throughout North America.
2
Greenbrier Rail Services
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wheel Shop Locations
Chicago Heights, IL
Corsicana, TX
Kansas City, KS
Lewistown, PA
Macon, GA
Mexico City, MX
Pine Bluff, AR
Portland, OR
Sahagun, MX
San Bernardino, CA
Tacoma, WA
Washington, IL
3
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Set Assembly
Wheel (2)
Axle (1)
Roller Bearing (2)
4
Greenbrier Rail Services
A rail car wheel set consist of 3 components
– 2 Wheels
• Wheels come in 4 general sizes based on the capacity
of the railcar they will be used under. These are 28”,
33”, 36” and 38”.
– 1 Axle
• Axles come in 7 sizes and are designated by Class.
These Classes are D, E, F, G, K, L & M.
– 2 Roller Bearings
• Roller Bearings also come in 7 sizes utilizing the same
Classes as the axles.
5
Greenbrier Rail Services
Flange
Tread
Rim
Hub
Plate
6
Greenbrier Rail Services
Body
Dust Guard
Journal Fillet
Wheel Seat
Bolt Holes
Journal
7
Greenbrier Rail Services
End Cap
Cone Assembly (Cage and Rollers)
Seal
Backing Ring
Cup
End Cap Bolt
8
Greenbrier Rail Services
Common Wheel Defects
There are many defects that can cause a wheel set to be
removed from service. These defects can be related to either the
wheel, axle or roller bearing. Some common defects include:
High Impact Wheels
These are wheels sets that are putting excessive forces
into the rail and are detected by recorders located at
various high traffic areas on the railroads.
Shelled Wheels
This defect is caused by fatigue on the wheel tread
surface and causes the metal to crack and break out of
the tread.
Worn out Wheels
Simply reached the condemning limits set by the AAR.
9
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Defects Related to Wear
High Flange
Thin Flange
Vertical Flange
Thin Rim
10
Greenbrier Rail Services
Non-Wear Wheel Related Defects
Shelled Tread
Slid Flat
Grooved Tread
Built Up Tread
11
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Shop Practices
• Inbound Inspection
• Bearing Demount
• Wheel Demount and Axle Cleaning
• Axle Inspection and Magnaflux
• Wheel Mounting
• Wheel Turning and Ultra-Sonic Testing
• Bearing Mounting
12
Greenbrier Rail Services
AAR Requirements
The Association of American Railroads governs
the requirements for wheel sets that are used in
North American interchange service. These rules
are covered in the AAR Manuals of Standards
and Recommended Practices Section G-II,
Wheels and Axles.
13
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Set Inspection
• Visual Inspection of wheels, axles and roller
bearings for nicks, gouges or cracks.
• Gauging of wheel profile to determine whether
wheels are turnable or scrap.
• Documentation of conditions found.
14
Greenbrier Rail Services
Visual Wheel Set Inspection
Gouged
Axle
Cracked Plate
Broken
Bearing
Cup
15
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Set Gauging
Wheels are gauged, using the AAR Finger Gauge,
to determine if they can be re-profiled.
All wheel sets that can’t be re-profiled are
expedited for demounting.
16
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Set Inspection Documentation
• All wheel sets are given are assigned a specific
tracking number which is used throughout the
process.
• All information regarding the condition of the
wheel sets is documented.
17
Greenbrier Rail Services
Roller Bearing Removal
18
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Demounting
Wheel Sets are placed in a press which
removes the wheels from the axle.
19
Greenbrier Rail Services
Axle Cleaning and Inspection
Axles are cleaned
and gauged
20
Greenbrier Rail Services
Axle Machining
Axles are machined if
required based on
conditions found.
21
Greenbrier Rail Services
Axle Magnaflux
All loose axles are Magnafluxed to check for
surface cracks.
22
Greenbrier Rail Services
Axle Wheel Seat Measuring
The wheel seat of the axle is measured to
determine what the diameter of the wheel bore
must be to insure proper interference fit and
mounting pressure.
23
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Boring and Chamfering
Wheels are bored to fit a specific axle.
24
Greenbrier Rail Services
Axle Center and Wheel Compound
The center of the axle length is found so that
the wheels are mounted centrally with respect
to the axle.
A mounting lubricant is applied to the wheel
bore and axle wheel seat to prevent scoring.
25
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Mounting and Documentation
The wheels are pressed on one at a time.
The mounting pressure, travel distance
and wheel serial number are documented.
This record must be kept for 5 years.
26
Greenbrier Rail Services
Wheel Set Turning
Wheel sets are placed in
a lathe and machined,
creating a new tread
profile.
27
Greenbrier Rail Services
Turned Wheel Ultra-Sonic Testing
Once the wheel set has been turned, the
tread is Ultra-Sonically tested for
subsurface defects.
28
Greenbrier Rail Services
Roller Bearing Mounting
29
Greenbrier Rail Services
• Questions?
30