Nencki, a leading developer and manufacturer of testing and handling equipment for bogies, releases significant innovations. The international patents for the brand-new functions are pending.
Bogie Test Bench: Innovative Hybrid Drive
This innovation is related to the new type of load application required for the bogie test procedure. Instead of conventional hydraulic or electromechanical drives, the loading force is generated by newly designed hybrid drives. This method of force application consumes significantly less energy, does not require an additional stabilising auxiliary cross beam during force application, generates significantly less emissions, enables high accuracy and life cycle costs can be significantly reduced.
In addition, the hybrid drive enables dynamic, frequency-controlled force application to ‘pre-roll’ all rubber and spring elements in the bogie. The first Nencki bogie test benches with the new hybrid drive technology have been sold and will be delivered in 2021. An international patent has been filed for this new technology.
Bogie Test Bench: New Generation of Wheel Measuring Units
This innovative technical achievement, also developed by Nencki engineers, includes a completely new concept of wheel load measurement and revolutionises the previous approach during bogie testing and handling of the bogie before and after testing (loading and unloading).
With this new concept, each wheel of the bogie can be raised and lowered individually, and the complete bogie can be moved longitudinally. This flexibility allows the bogie to be rolled in and out of the test area of the test stand fully automatically. The centring of the bogie within the machine, which is necessary for accurate measurements, is executed by the machine automatically and controlled.
The test bench not only calculates the required wheel shim heights, but the individually height-adjustable wheel measuring units also allow a real-time simulation of the calculated height correction. Due to these unique individual height adjustments, a twisted track situation can be simulated as well. A lowering device for the bogie within the test bench is no longer necessary, as the height-adjustable wheel measuring units can raise the bogie directly of the infeed rails. Energy consumption has been significantly reduced by optimised electromechanical drives. An international patent has been filed for this innovation, too.