Operational conditions of the railway machinery, and features of selecting lubricating materials
To provide longterm trouble-free operating of the locomotives, carriages, trains, and other rail vehicles, it is necessary to pay special attention to maintaining their units and mechanisms, in particularly to lubricating.
The railway machinery function within a wide range of conditions, and being exposed to adverse outer factors, that’s why the materials to reduce friction must meet a number of strict requirements, too.
Thus, it is necessary to choose the lubricating materials capable to provide longterm lubricating the parts simultaneously with increasing intervals between maintenances. It is not allowed that they are washed out of the units, evaporate fast, accumulate abrasive particles from the external environment.
Besides, the lubricants must retain their operability at exposure to various climatic phenomena, within a wide temperature range because the railway transport is being operated both in the regions with a severe cold climate, and in the tropics.
It is required that lubricating materials provide easy dismantling of the units after long operating, or long downtime of the machinery, they must be resistant towards aggressive media impact such as reactants used to maintain railways, etc.
Greases and oils not always function effectively in the units of the railway machinery since they don’t meet the most of the requirements given above.
The preferable solution to provide trouble-free functioning for the railway transport parts, even at intensive operating under adverse conditions and at long downtimes is applying anti-friction solid-film coatings.
These products are intended to reduce friction and wear of the parts made of various construction materials where conventional lubricants are ineffective.
Unlike greases, the coatings are applied on the stage of producing the parts, and in process of curing (polymerization) they form a thing composition film that is a matrix of a binder with the particles of solid lubricating materials distributed over its cells.
Advantages of using MODENGY anti-friction coatings
The designer and manufacturer of these anti-friction solid-film coatings is the Russian Modengy company.
The coatings enable to extend service lifetime of the parts in cases where there is lack or no greases (it depends on structure and operational conditions of a unit), reduce and stabilize friction, protect against impact of adverse external factors and corrosion.
A cured coating is a dry smooth ‘film’ steadily adherent to the base that as a rule requires no renewal since single application of the material at producing the parts at the manufacturing plant is enough to provide lubrication and protection for the entire service lifetime of the mechanisms.
Some MODENGY coatings significantly exceed galvanic chrome plating, and zinc plating on the level of anti-corrosive properties.
The basic properties and advantages of MODENGY anti-friction solid-film coatings are the following:
- Low friction coefficient – from 0.03
- High anti-scuffing properties, and high load-carrying capacity
- Anti-corrosive properties – up to 1,000 hours in neutral salt mist within accelerated tests on ISO 9227 standard
- Long service term – they can provide lubrication for the entire lifetime of the parts without need in renewal
- Resistance to washing-off; these coatings are not subjected to oxidation, and evaporation
- Wide service temperature range – from -210 °С to +730 °С
- Chemical resistance
- Dry texture that stimulates no dust sticking-on
Small layer thickness (only 20 micrometers) virtually doesn’t change the initial sizes of the parts.
The features of each anti-friction solid-film coating differ depending on the binders used in their composition, solid lubricating materials such as molybdenum disulfide, graphite, polytetrafluorethylene, and others.
Applying of the coating is done by painting method with MODENGY M1-250 spray gun, or out of an aerosol can (depending on the coating type, and its package).
The compounds can cure at heating in a kiln, or at room temperature depending on the coating type.
Examples of application of MODENGY coatings and pastes in the units of the railway machinery
MODENGY coatings are used in many units of the railway machinery providing improvement of their reliability and service lifetime including piston skirts of the diesel locomotives and special machinery, lead screws, thrust slide bearings, cable mechanisms, railway switches elements, etc. Let’s consider some examples of successful application of MODENGY products.
The railway switches electric drives mechanisms must function effectively the whole year round being exposed to various environmental factors, climatic phenomena, reactants used to maintain railways.
In order to prevent corrosion damage as well as to reduce friction and wear, MODENGY 1005, and MODENGY 1014 anti-friction solid-film coatings are applied onto the railway switches elements. A thin lubricating layer insulate the parts from impact of adverse factors, contributes to extending service lifetime of the contacting surfaces.
MODENGY 1006, and MODENGY 1007 coatings having high heat-resistance, high load-carrying capacity, and high wear-resistance help extend service lifetime of the diesel locomotive pistons skirts, special machinery, and compressors.
Due to using them, friction and wear reduction, protection against scuffing at the moments of oil lack, or at overloads are provided, and thus, fuel expense decreases, noise level goes down, and service lifetime of the pistons extends.
Onto the lead screws of the railway machinery, MODENGY 1014 anti-friction coating based on molybdenum disulfide and polytetrafluorethylene is applied.
This coating forms a dry lubricating layer that provides longterm operability to the parts in dusty environment.Use of this products prevents stick-slip motion, protects against scuffing and corrosion, reduces noise during mechanisms running.
The slide bearings of the diesel locomotives turbine compressors function on high traverse speeds under heavy loads. In order to prevent premature wear of the parts under such operational conditions, MODENGY 1066 anti-friction coating with high load-carrying capacity and wear-resistant is used.
Onto the cables of the emergency door opening systems of the transport, MODENGY 1014 coating is applied.
Due to its dry texture, absence of evaporation and oxidation, wear-resistance, this coating provides standard expected response of the mechanisms even after long downtime.
In order to provide quality assembly of the wheel pairs, MODENGY 4002 solid-film paste based on molybdenum disulfide.
It makes the process of forming wheel pairs easier, improves smoothness of their going, prevents scuffing forming on the surfaces as well as efforts leaps at press fitting.
MODENGY lubricating materials based on solid lubricating substances enable to make maintenance of the railway machinery easier providing lifetime lubrication of the units as well as to improve reliability of operating them, and to minimize number of failures of the equipment.
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