Sourcing some of the best technologies from world over, we have worked with the Indian Railways to pioneer
the introduction of products such as Shacku Semi Permanent Coupler, Air Brakes, and EP Brakes, just to name a few. Developing products of international technological standards at Indian prices has always been our forte.
Brakes & Brake systems
Air Brakes
PRODUCT NAME
Air Brakes
APPLICATION
Conventional Coaches
TECHNOLOGY
Knorr Bremse, Germany (Original )
FEATURES
Aluminum Body, Universal Application, Conforming to UIC Low Life cycle maintenance cost
Air Brakes PRODUCT NAME
Air Brakes
APPLICATION
Conventional Wagons, BMBS Wagons
TECHNOLOGY
Knorr Bremse, Germany
FEATURES
Cast Iron Body, Single Stage & Two Stage, Conforming to UIC Low Life cycle maintenance cost
Air Brakes
EP Brakes PRODUCT NAME
EP Brakes
APPLICATION
EMU, DEMU/MEMU
TECHNOLOGY
Knorr Bremse, Germany (Original ) & Indigenous for development
FEATURES
Robust, Reliable, Motor man friendly, Failsafe EP Brakes
Couplers
AARH CBC Couplers with normal draft gear
PRODUCT NAME
AARH CBC Couplers with normal draft gear
APPLICATION
LHB Coaches
TECHNOLOGY
Indigenous
FEATURES
Built-in Anti climbing feature, Articulation for negotiating curves, Enhanced Passenge safety
AARH CBC Couplers with normal draft gear AARH CBC Couplers with Balanced Draft Gear New Development PRODUCT NAME
AARH CBC Couplers with Balanced Draft Gear New Development
APPLICATION
LHB Coaches
TECHNOLOGY
Indigenous
FEATURES
Built-in Anti climbing feature, Elimination of Jerk, Articulation for negotiating curves AARH CBC Couplers Enhanced Passenger safety Enhanced Passenger Comfort with Balanced Draft Gear New Development
Semi Permanent Couplers PRODUCT NAME
Semi Permanent Couplers
APPLICATION
EMU Coaches
TECHNOLOGY
Scharfenberg, (Schaku )Germany
FEATURES
Rigid and slack free connection Enables the connection of air pipes Prevents overridin Semi Permanent Couplers of coaches Cushions axial movement of coaches
Automatic Coupler
PRODUCT NAME
Automatic Coupler
APPLICATION
EMU, MEMU, DEMU
TECHNOLOGY
Scharfenberg, (Schaku )Germany
FEATURES
Automatic Coupler
Slack free and rigid connection enables jerk free start and braking Optimum riding comfort is provided and prevents overriding of coaches in case of an acciden
An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company(WABCO) was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted. The Westinghouse system uses air pressure to charge air reservoirs (tanks) on each car. Full air pressure signals each car to release the brakes. A reduction or loss of air pressure signals each car to apply its brakes, using the compressed air in its reservoirs. Prior to the introduction of air brakes, stopping a train was a difficult business. In the early days when trains consisted of one or two cars and speeds were low, the engine driver could stop the train by reversing the steam flow to the cylinders, causing the locomotive to act as a brake. However, as trains got longer, heavier and faster, and started to operate in mountainous regions, it became necessary to fit each car with brakes, as the locomotive was no longer capable of bringing the train to a halt in a reasonable distance. The introduction of brakes to railcars necessitated the employment of additional crew members called brakemen, whose job it was to move from car to car and apply or release the brakes when signaled to do so by the engineer with a series of whistle blasts. Occasionally, whistle signals were not heard, incorrectly given or incorrectly interpreted, and derailments or collisions would occur because trains were not stopped in time. Brakes were manually applied and released by turning a large brake wheel located at one end of each car. The brake wheel pulled on the car's brake rigging and clamped the brake shoes against the wheels. As considerable force was required to overcome the friction in the brake rigging, the brakeman used a stout piece of wood called a "club" to assist him in turning the brake wheel. The job of a passenger train brakeman wasn't too difficult, as he was not exposed to the weather and could conveniently move from car to car through the vestibules, which is where the brake wheel was (and still is, in many cases) located. Also, passenger trains were not as heavy or lengthy as their freight counterparts, which eased the task of operating the brakes.
A brakeman's job on a freight train was far more difficult, as he was exposed to the elements and was responsible for many more cars. To set the brakes on a boxcar (UIC: covered wagon) the brakeman had to climb to the roof ("coon the buggy" in railroad slang) and walk a narrow catwalk to reach the brake wheel while the car was swaying and pitching beneath his feet. There was nothing to grasp other than the brake wheel itself, and getting to the next car often required jumping. Needless to say, a freight brakeman's job was extremely dangerous, and many were maimed or killed in falls from moving trains. Complicating matters, the manually operated brakes had limited effectiveness and controlling a train's speed in mountainous terrain was a dicey affair. Occasionally, the brakemen simply could not set enough brakes to a degree where they were able to reduce speed while descending a grade, which usually resulted in a runawayfollowed by a disastrous wreck. When adopted, the Westinghouse system had a major effect on railroad safety. Reliable braking was assured, reducing the frequent accidents that plagued the industry. Brakemen were no longer required to risk life and limb to stop a train, and with the engineer now in control of the brakes, misunderstood whistle signals were eliminated. As a result, longer and heavier trains could be safely run at higher speeds. During his lifetime, Westinghouse made many improvements to his invention. The United States Congress passed the Safety Appliance Act in 1893 making the use of some automatic brake system mandatory. By 1905, over 2,000,000 freight, passenger, mail, baggage and express railroad cars and 89,000 locomotives in the United States were equipped with the Westinghouse Automatic Brake. In the air brake's simplest form, called the straight air system, compressed air pushes on a piston in a cylinder. The piston is connected through mechanical linkage to brake shoes that can rub on the train wheels, using the resulting friction to slow the train. The mechanical linkage can become quite elaborate, as it evenly distributes force from one pressurized air cylinder to 8 or 12 wheels. The pressurized air comes from an air compressor in the locomotive and is sent from car to car by a train linemade up of pipes beneath each car and hoses between cars. The principal problem with the straight air braking system is that any separation between hoses and pipes causes loss of air pressure and hence the loss of the force applying the brakes. This deficiency could easily cause a runaway train. Straight air brakes are still used on locomotives, although as a dual circuit system, usually with each bogie (truck) having its own circuit. In order to design a system without the shortcomings of the straight air system, Westinghouse invented a system wherein each piece of railroad rolling stock was equipped with an air reservoir and a triple valve, also known as a control valve.
Rotair Valve Westinghouse Air brake Company
[1]
The triple valve is described as being so named as it performs three functions: Charging air into an air tank ready to be used, applying the brakes, and releasing them. In so doing, it supports certain other actions (i.e. it 'holds' or maintains the application and it permits the exhaust of brake cylinder pressure and the recharging of the reservoir during the release). In his patent application, Westinghouse refers to his 'triple-valve device' because of the three component valvular parts comprising it: the diaphragm-operated poppet valve feeding reservoir air to the brake cylinder, the reservoir charging valve, and the brake cylinder release valve. When he soon improved the device by removing the poppet valve action, these three components became the piston valve, the slide valve, and the graduating valve.
If the pressure in the train line is lower than that of the reservoir, the brake cylinder exhaust portal is closed and air from the car's reservoir is fed into the brake cylinder to apply the brakes. This action continues until equilibrium between the brake pipe pressure and reservoir pressure is achieved. At that point, the airflow from the reservoir to the brake cylinder is lapped off and the cylinder is maintained at a constant pressure. If the pressure in the train line is higher than that of the reservoir, the triple valve connects the train line to the reservoir feed, causing the air pressure in the reservoir to increase. The triple valve also causes the brake cylinder to be exhausted to the atmosphere, releasing the brakes.
As the pressure in the train line and that of the reservoir equalize, the triple valve closes, causing the air pressure in the reservoir and brake cylinder to be maintained at the current level.
Unlike the straight air system, the Westinghouse system uses a reduction in air pressure in the train line to apply the brakes. When the engineer (driver) applies the brake by operating the locomotive brake valve, the train line vents to atmosphere at a controlled rate, reducing the train line pressure and in turn triggering the triple valve on each car to feed air into its brake cylinder. When the engineer releases the brake, the locomotive brake valve portal to atmosphere is closed, allowing the train line to be recharged by the compressor of the locomotive. The subsequent increase of train line pressure causes the triple valves on each car to discharge the contents of the brake cylinder to the atmosphere, releasing the brakes and recharging the reservoirs. Under the Westinghouse system, therefore, brakes are applied by reducing train line pressure and released by increasing train line pressure. The Westinghouse system is thus fail safeany failure in the train line, including a separation ("break-in-two") of the train, will cause a loss of train line pressure, causing the brakes to be applied and bringing the train to a stop, thus preventing a runaway train. Modern air brake systems are in effect two braking systems combined:
The service brake system, which applies and releases the brakes during normal operations, and The emergency brake system, which applies the brakes rapidly in the event of a brake pipe failure or an emergency application by the engineer.
When the train brakes are applied during normal operations, the engineer makes a "service application" or a "service rate reduction, which means that the train line pressure reduces at a controlled rate. It takes several seconds for the train line pressure to reduce and consequently takes several seconds for the brakes to apply throughout the train. In the event the train needs to make an emergency stop, the engineer can make an "emergency application," which immediately and rapidly vents all of the train line pressure to atmosphere, resulting in a rapid application of the train's brakes. An emergency application also results when the train line comes apart or otherwise fails, as all air will also be immediately vented to atmosphere. In addition, an emergency application brings in an additional component of each car's air brake system: the emergency portion. The triple valve is divided into two portions: the service portion, which contains the mechanism used during brake applications made during service reductions, and the emergency portion, which senses the immediate, rapid release of train line pressure. In addition, each car's air brake reservoir is divided into two portionsthe service portion and the emergency portionand is known as the "dual-compartment reservoir. Normal service applications transfer air pressure from the service portion to the brake cylinder, while
emergency applications cause the triple valve to direct all air in both the service portion and the emergency portion of the dual-compartment reservoir to the brake cylinder, resulting in a 20 30% stronger application. The emergency portion of each triple valve is activated by the extremely rapid rate of reduction of train line pressure. Due to the length of trains and the small diameter of the train line, the rate of reduction is high near the front of the train (in the case of an engineer-initiated emergency application) or near the break in the train line (in the case of the train line coming apart). Farther away from the source of the emergency application, the rate of reduction can be reduced to the point where triple valves will not detect the application as an emergency reduction. To prevent this, each triple valve's emergency portion contains an auxiliary vent port, which, when activated by an emergency application, also locally vents the train line's pressure directly to atmosphere. This serves to propagate the emergency application rapidly along the entire length of the train. Use of distributed power (i.e., remotely controlled locomotive units midtrain and/or at the rear end) mitigates somewhat the time-lag problem with long trains, because a telemetered radio signal from the engineer in the front locomotive commands the distant units to initiate brake pressure reductions that propagate quickly through nearby cars. A coupling (or a coupler) is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the track gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together. The equipment that connects the couplings to the rolling stock is known as the draft gear
Problems with buffers and chain
[edit]Buffer-locking The buffers and chain coupling system has a maximum load much less than that of the Janney coupling. Also, on sharp reverse curves, the buffers can get buffer-locked by slipping over and onto the back of an adjacent buffer. Although careful track design makes this occurrence rare, an accident at a Swiss station in the 1980s was caused by buffer-locked wagons.[citation needed] Buffer-lock could be caused on the very sharp switches by the older, rounded buffers. The newer buffers are rectangular and they are wider than they are tall. They are not so flat, so they rarely cause buffer-locking.[citation needed] [edit]Variation with gauge The width between the buffers tends to increase as the gauge increases or decrease as the gauge decreases, so that if wagons are changed from one gauge to another, the buffers will no longer match. This occurs because the buffers are originally extensions of the frames, which are spaced according to the gauge. Conversely, as gauge gets smaller, the distance between the buffers reduces also. The height of the buffers is usually lower on narrow gauge railways, corresponding to the generally lower height of the rolling stock. In short, when rebuilding wagons from one gauge to another, more work is needed.
However in the case of Iberian broad gauge railways, the buffer's height and spacing is the same as for the standard gauge railways in Europe including Great Britainin order to allow though running of rolling stock by the use of bogie exchange.
