Interpipe has developed railway wheels for demanding operating conditions

Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe has developed railway wheels for demanding operating conditions in deserts and hot climates. This was announced in the company’s statement.

For almost 30 years, Interpipe has been operating in the railway markets of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. High temperatures and abrasive sand cause accelerated wheel wear, necessitating custom engineering solutions.

«Each design required individual modeling and calculations, as well as optimization of the steel’s chemical composition and the heat treatment process», emphasized Oleksandr Roslyk, Technical Director of the Railway Products Division.

The following projects have been implemented.

• Freight wheels for Saudi Arabia (AAR M107/M208, UIC standards, customer specification). They were developed taking into account stricter requirements than those prescribed by the AAR standard: increased axle loads, reduced rim width, less steel mass to facilitate heat dissipation during brake shoe friction, high core hardness, while maintaining surface hardness within standard requirements.
• Passenger wheels for Indian Railways (standards: EN 13262, UIC, IRS (Indian Railways standards). Back in 2009, the Ukrainian company introduced a new wheel design with extended service life, which later became an industry standard. The improved performance of this design helped Indian Railways reduce the number of incidents related to the failure of outdated wheel types.
• Wheels for new Indian locomotives (standards: EN 13262, UIC, IRS (Indian Railways standards). Interpipe supplied wheels with a thermo-stabilized web, whose shape ensures intensive heat dissipation during braking. A special coating prevents ignition caused by friction.

It should be noted that Interpipe is actively expanding its presence in the European railway products market. Currently, wheels of Ukrainian manufacture are installed on two out of every three freight cars in the EU. However, as part of its development strategy through 2032, the company plans to enter the passenger wheel segment actively, which is significantly more complex and technologically advanced than the freight segment.