Eurailtest’s Partner the Railway Test Agency Performs Lubricant Diagnostics

A new case study recently carried out by the Railway Test Agency (AEF), one of our partner laboratories, is now available for consultation on the Eurailtest website. The study targeted the lubricants used with mechanical components for purposes of optimising the maintenance cycles of the parts involved.

In most industrial environments, railways included, there are a large number of mechanical parts that have to be lubricated with oil or grease to protect them against the heat, wear and tear generated by in-service loads. It is vital to ensure that lubricants retain their physical and chemical properties and that maintenance is duly performed to give the parts the longest possible useful life.

As a general rule, maintenance operations on mechanical components are conducted applying traditional principles based on time and/or distance criteria largely derived from practical feedback.

Today, courtesy of AEF’s specific studies, it is possible to establish the degree of ageing in the different lubricants and their remaining potential, this being key input for maintainers keen to contain their costs and improve fleet availability.

In 2016, AEF carried out a study into high-speed rail vehicle axle box greases to establish whether their potential could exceed 2 million km. To learn more about our findings, consult our case study.

Sandrine Muller