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04/30/2013

Voith at Railtex 2013
More Sustainable Vehicle Components for Rail Transport

At the largest UK trade show for railway technology held in London from 30 April to 2 May 2013 Voith will be showing a new generation of drive and systems components. One of the key exhibits on stand E41/F40 is a Wedgelock coupler, which is installed in all of London's 600 Tube trains.
Wedgelock coupler
Cooling system for monorails
Voith drive technology for rail vehicles has been at home in the United Kingdom for 50 years, where Voith couplers haven been ensuring more safety in rail traffic for many years. During mechanical coupling, the Wedgelock coupler hooks engage automatically. They are then locked in position from the driver's cabin through pneumatic actuation of the wedges. As a result, the individual Tube trains are not only mechanically but also pneumatically and electrically connected, so that the carriage doors can be opened and shut and all other safety systems can operate correctly.

With the Scharfenberg One4 coupler, Voith even goes one step further: the modular One4 coupler head is a radical simplification and standardization of previous coupler heads. After a minor impact, only the front plate needs to be replaced. This place is separated from the coupler body and connected to it by just a few bolts.

As a virtual information highlight, Voith will be presenting the Galea vehicle head, consisting mainly of fiber composite plastics. It is much lighter than comparable vehicle heads and underlines the contribution of Voith components towards more sustainability in rail transport. Thanks to minimized wheelsets loads and lower wear on train and rail, it works particularly energy efficiently and eco-friendly.

Economy and sustainability are also the key characteristics of the currently smallest transmission for diesel-driven rail vehicles presented by Voith at Railtex: the DIWARail transmission with reversing mechanism. It has been designed for the power class up to 382 kW and is also available as a hybrid version.

The Voith stand at the London show will also feature a single-stage bevel gear unit (KE-456). It is weight and noise-optimized and allows speeds of up to 400 km/h. Voith in Heidenheim is in the final stages of achieving UK RISAS certification for the assembly of new power and trailer wheelsets fitted with monobloc wheels on solid and hollow axles. This includes fitment of axle mounted bearings and axle mounted brake discs. The successful audit was carried out by SGS Correl during April 2013 and the certificate will be issued during May 2013. This accreditation now allows Voith to supply gear units complete with wheels and axle bearings directly from their manufacturing facility in Germany providing a total one stop shop for any customer in the UK. This accreditation further enhances the Voith philosophy for providing totally integrated systems and complete supply packages to the UK market.

Voith currently also supplies cooling systems to all leading manufacturers of monorail vehicles. All traction elements, for example inverter and traction motor, are kept at the right temperature by the Voith cooling system. Its modern nano coating makes the system less prone to pollution and extends maintenance intervals – advantages, which show visitors can see for themselves at Railtex.

Another exhibit is an R-type Voith universal joint shaft. It is designed for high torque transmission and extended bearing lifetime. Its light-weight and torsion-stiff center section with both spline parts – shaft and hub manufactured in close tolerance and available in steel-on-steel or steelon- Rilsan material combinations are perfectly suitable for high-speed applications such as drivelines of the rail vehicles.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transportation & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 42,000 people, generates € 5.7 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.

 

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