Wabtec Rail improves damper testing with ABB drive 14 March 2014

Wabtec Rail is reporting improvements in terms of noise and reliability since fitting a variable-speed drive to damper tester equipment, used in the upgrade and refurbishment of railway equipment.

The Doncaster-based firm subjects refurbished dampers – used on the front and rear of railway engines and rolling stock – by compression testing at set frequencies.

The test facility consists of a motor connected through a gearbox to a cam, which provides the lateral movement to compress the damper at selected speeds. A potentiometer allows the operator to vary any of the set speeds for special applications and results are logged.

The original set-up used a 15kW dc motor controlled by a frequency converter, with closed-loop speed control through a mechanical belt and drive system. But when the 35-year-old dc motor failed, and with no spares available, Wabtec asked ABB Drives Alliance member Inverter Drive Systems (IDS) to suggest a replacement solution.

IDS recommended scrapping the existing motor and drive, replacing them with an 18.5kW ac motor – squirrel-cage motor fitted with an incremental encoder to provide speed feedback and force-vented to ensure the motor is cooled at lower operating frequencies – and an ABB ACS800 variable-speed drive.

Dave Williams, team leader of the damper shop, says that, although the majority of tests require no more than 9kW, the rating of 18.5 kW ensures it can be used to test the most demanding dampers.

He also says that the drive was programmed and installed so that the existing controls were integrated with the variable-speed drive, with the speed setting of the motor selected via an input to the drive.

The application took a week to install, with Wabtec undertaking some of the mechanical work itself. Wabtec gained a rapid solution, more accurate speed control, the ability to reach the set point speed instantaneously, higher reliability and little maintenance.

"We find the new motor a lot quieter than the old one and we have not had any trouble with the new application since it was installed," comments Williams.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
ABB Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.