Empresa de Manutenção de Equipamento Ferroviário, S.A. (EMEF) chooses SKF's low-maintenance tapered roller bearing units (TBUs) to replace existing TRBs on Corail passenger carriage Y32 bogies.

Gothenburg, Sweden, 27 June 2018: The Portuguese railway rolling stock maintenance operator, EMEF is taking delivery of SKF sealed, pre-greased TBUs (130x220mm) as a replacement for existing, similarly dimensioned TRB arrangement in Corail passenger coaches equipped with type Y32 bogies. The replacement requires only a simple modification to the axlebox sleeve and rear cover, which can be carried out by EMEF.

This replacement from SKF was chosen for its lower life cycle costs and favourable maintenance advantages, which includes an extension of the maintenance interval from the present 500,000km to 800,000km (or eight years, whichever is the earliest). Additionally, the TBU new solution is much simpler to mount and dismount compared with the existing TRB arrangement, which uses two matched single TRB units separated by distance rings from different bearing manufacturers.

Some 16 TBUs fitted to Y32 bogies have been trialled by EMEF since 2012. On covering a distance of 500,000km, eight of these bearings were removed for inspection in 2015 and their condition was found to be "very good". As a result of this trial, EMEF has decided to replace all of the 632 TBUs currently in service on 79 Corail carriages with the new solution, and this is expected be completed by 2019.

SKF is a global supplier to the railway industry, focusing on servicing both the freight and mass transit markets. The company supplies OEMs and end-users with a wide range of solutions across the SKF technology platforms, covering wheelset bearings, axleboxes, drive system bearings, lubrication systems, sealing solutions and condition-monitoring. SKF also offers aftermarket services such as remanufacturing services, on-site engineering services, product training and upgrades.