OMK Steel Track Railway Car Maintenance Company Invests Over RUB 15,800,000 to Improve Wheelset Maintenance Quality

United Metallurgical Company (OMK) is a Russian manufacturer of high-quality steel products and integrated solutions designed to meet the most exacting consumer specifications in the fuel energy, transport, construction and other industries, a Metal-Expo regular exhibitor.

The OMK Steel Track railway car maintenance company has installed ultrasonic equipment at 19 of its depots to measure the tension of the inside race of wheelset roller bearings. Very soon, this equipment will also be coming to a further 18 of the company's depots. 

The total amount invested in the equipment designed to improve the wheelset repair process is in excess of RUB 15,800,000.

During medium-term and capital wheelset repairs, depots always verify the quality of the interference fit between the inside race and the shaft to prevent slippage during axle assembly operation. Unlike earlier inspection tools, the new instrumentation made at the Siberia National Railway University is equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that measures the tension. This helps make high-precision measurements of the condition of wheelsets in the course of interim and capital repairs recording both the amount of tension and component defects. At the same time, there can be no measurement errors, including those caused by human error. OMK Steel Track depots are now able to determine wheelset condition quickly and with an accuracy of 0.005 mm. The instrument also has a built-in memory. It can hold all the data of a wheelset, which can be output on demand.

“Incorrect race interference may result in axles overheating and the wheelset journal breaking and even provoke railway car separation at a later point. We are trying to increase wheelset life for our customers following maintenance. The use of these new inspection instruments in our depots is a step in that direction.” commented OMK Steel Track Managing Director Dmitri Romanov.