STATION MODERNISATION


More reliable damper testing


A new variable-speed drive for Wabtec Rail’s damper tester is proving a success. Adam Hewitt reports.


W


abtec tests about 560 dampers a week, and refurbishes them to ensure the shock


load when railway vehicles come together is as a low as possible.


At its railway damper test facility, each damper is subjected to compression testing at set frequencies to ensure it can be fitted to a carriage or engine.


The test facility consists of a motor connected through a gearbox to a cam, which provides the lateral movement to compress the damper at the selected speed. A potentiometer allows the operator to vary any of the set speeds for special applications, before test results for each damper are recorded on a chart recorder and data logger.


But its 35-year-old 15 kW DC motor, controlled by a frequency converter, with closed loop


speed control through a mechanical belt and drive system, had to be replaced once it failed and could not be repaired economically.


Wabtec asked ABB Drives Alliance member Inverter Drive Systems (IDS) to suggest a replacement solution – as quickly as possible.


Its recommendation was for an 18.5 kW AC motor and an ABB ACS800 variable- speed drive. The motor was a standard AC 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. Although the majority of tests require no more than 9 kW, the rating of 18.5 kW ensures it can be used to test the most demanding dampers.


The existing controls were integrated with


the new machine, minimising the need for retraining.


Since the new motor and drive have been installed, damper shop team leader Dave Williams said: “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.”


An ABB spokesman said: “Wabtec benefits through a more accurate speed control, the ability to reach the set point speed instantaneously, higher reliability and little maintenance. The system can also be upgraded to allow networking or the addition of an electronic data logger.”


TELL US WHAT YOU THINK opinion@railtechnologymagazine.com


152 | rail technology magazine Apr/May 14


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