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December 2014
— Compiled By David Lewellen
Railroads' quest to reduce the friction between wheels and rails never ends, but they have help.
Companies that produce track lubricants and friction modifiers continue to develop new products and systems. Progressive Railroading recently asked a range of companies that provide rail lubrication and friction-control products to describe their most recent offerings. Their emailed responses follow.
L.B. Foster Co. has developed a wide range of proprietary systems to control friction between the wheel and rail for freight and transit applications. Friction management products, delivery systems and services provide "substantial cost benefits by maximizing equipment performance and minimizing wear at the wheel/rail interface," according to the company.
One such product is AutoPilot™, a mobile top-of-rail application system. The system can be installed onboard a freight car or locomotive. KELTRACK® AutoPilot friction modifier is used exclusively in the AutoPilot spray systems and is formulated to be sprayed from a nozzle and dry quickly in the wheel/rail interface. The AutoPilot system uses GPS control to automatically adjust product application rates to optimize the friction levels. This flexible control technology can create a customized application strategy.
AutoPilot benefits include increased rail and track structure life, improved fuel economy and reduction in lateral forces. A key benefit is improved wheel wear. Tests on heavy-load commodity Class I trainsets have shown that wheel set change-outs due to defective wheels can be reduced significantly with AutoPilot, the company said.
Loram Maintenance of Way Inc. has developed the GaugeShield line of friction management equipment. The company's newest application system, GaugeShield is designed to efficiently and effectively lubricate the gauge face of the rail.
The GaugeShield design delivers performance and reliability while simplifying routine maintenance and operation. The ergonomically designed tank provides ample space for maintenance and inspection. Meanwhile, the removable grease tank insert allows for easy transfer of seasonal and different manufacturers' greases, and the cone-shaped design funnels grease to the pump to decrease cavitation.
GaugeShield's dual output gear pump has fewer moving parts. The grease output is reliable and repeatable at all operating temperatures and can control two tracks with a single controller. The patent-pending dispensing bar, which uniformly dispenses grease across the top of the bar, has a removable insert for inexpensive replacement, the company said.
The GaugeShield can be remotely monitored with Loram's monitoring and analytics package, which provides the ability to quickly audit the uptime and more accurately monitor and plan maintenance activities.
While gauge-face lubricators have been around for years, Loram's GaugeShield is designed to provide a better method to help railroads reduce rail wear, curving forces, wheel flange noise and conditions that can cause derailments, according to Loram.
MPL Technology Inc.'s Solidstick line of solid polymer lubricants is designed to provide several benefits in friction management, including reductions in wheel and rail wear, noise and fuel expense. MPL has worked with customers to expand the benefits of solid polymer lubricants from the wheel flange to the tread and top of the rail (TOR). Enter the MPL TopStick system, which is applied from an onboard dispenser: "The entire track for a railroad will benefit, not just in curves from wayside-installed TOR systems," the company said.
TopStick applicators are truck-mounted on both sides of the lead car, applying a friction modifier to the tread of the lead wheels. As the sticks are consumed, the friction modifier is distributed back along the top of the rail to the rest of the train. Applicators are easy to install in under a half-hour and can apply enough friction modifier material to cover 1,000 to 1,500 miles, the company said. The TopStick applicators, which are powered with pneumatic cyclers using the locomotive's auxiliary airline, can be refilled in less than five minutes and require little maintenance.
The TopStick system has been tested successfully at the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, Colo., with mechanical and electrical measurements on two locomotives with 30 loaded hopper cars while operating on TTCI's wheel/rail mechanism loop, according to MPL. Coefficient of friction on the top of the rail was monitored throughout the testing and consistently reached the Association of American Railroads' standard for TOR rail lubrication, MPL said. The system can be modified to accommodate most any type of car.
RSC Bio Solutions L.L.C.'s EnviroLogic® 146 hydraulic fluid is an ISO 46 grade hydraulic oil for use in conventional hydraulic systems, including railroad applications. Based on natural ester technology, it is minimally toxic and safe for use in all ISO 46 grade hydraulic systems, according to the company. Additionally, EnviroLogic 146 is readily biodegradable and, in lab test conditions, biodegrades 60 percent or greater within 28 days, the company said.
As evidenced by a number of OEM approvals, EnviroLogic 146 "meets or exceeds the performance of comparable petroleum-based products and has excellent anti-wear and extreme pressure characteristics," according to RSC Bio Solutions. The hydraulic fluid demonstrates "outstanding" low-temperature viscosity and is intended for use in applications with temperature requirements ranging from -20 F to 200 F and pressure requirements up to 5,000 psi, the company said.
Trac Lubricants & Coatings L.L.C.'s RailGuard GT is an anti-wear/friction modifier designed to reduce wheel and track wear, control friction and reduce noise on all contact surfaces in rail applications. Biodegradable and environmentally safe, it combines synthetic basestocks with a high-performance, specifically designed additive package.
RailGuard is designed to mitigate the wear of the gauge face/wheel flange interface in curves where extreme loads are produced. Its tight control of the friction coefficient enables it to be applied directly to the top of the rail through existing wayside systems for noise and lateral force reduction, which also saves fuel. The modifier's adhesion properties, combined with the low application rate, ensure long-lasting performance with minimal potential for waste, the company said. In addition to providing wear protection, the anti-wear film maintains an optimized friction coefficient.
RailGuard is available in a variety of grades for any equipment at any ambient temperature; the film's stability is guaranteed from -50 F up to 500 F. During winter, RailGuard also acts as an ice release agent. Wheel re-cutting/truing can be reduced by up to 30 percent, and rail replacement in curves also will be reduced, the company said. RailGuard also provides "significant" lateral force stress reduction in the rails, and the rail's fastening and support structure, Trac Lubricants & Coatings said.
SKF has "improved and expanded" its Lincoln line of top-of-rail contact applicators, according to the company. The new applicators build upon the brand's metal contact applicator, while "significantly simplifying" installation on the track, the company said. Removal and reinstallation of the applicators during track maintenance requires a single wrench.
In addition, Lincoln offers a new applicator that is designed for use with lower-viscosity friction modifiers. The applicator provides "very efficient use" of low-viscosity friction modifiers, as well as a long service life, the company said. With the addition of the applicators, SKF/Lincoln now offers a complete range of products for pumping and applying all types of friction modifiers available for the rail market.
Whitmore Manufacturing Co.'s new top-of-rail friction modifier, TOR Armor™, is designed to reduce wheel creep, noise and corrugations. In addition to providing its line of high-performance petroleum and biodegradable rail curve and switch plate lubricants, the company has "taken friction control to the next level," Vice President of Lubrication Sales Jack Ellis said. "TOR Armor is specifically designed to provide optimum friction at the wheel/rail interface, which substantially reduces noise, wear and lateral forces. It creates positive friction, reducing wheel creep conditions and rail damage."
TOR Armor is available in two grades, including a low-temperature version that can be used in temperatures as low as -40 F.
"It has a long carry-down so customers will use less product and require fewer applicators, which will lower their cost of implementation," said Director of Railroad Sales Bruce Wise. "And it's engineered for use on freight- and transit-rail applications."
Added President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Kilpatrick: Because the company manufactures rail lubricants, friction modifiers and rail lubrication equipment, it can offer railroads "the comprehensive friction management solutions they need."
David Lewellen is a Glendale, Wis.-based freelance writer.
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