KTR COUPLINGS FOR TRAIN TECHNOLOGY

With more than 30 years of experience manufacturing innovative and high performance couplings for the rail industry, KTR are dedicated to designing new products to suit any application and improve train technology for the future. KTR have designed a range of shaft couplings which have been specifically manufactured to meet the exacting specifications of the rail industry. These include a new membrane coupling and an innovative overload system which significantly increase the service life of gear splines. Integrating the torsionally flexible ROTEX® coupling into the electromechanical drive system benefits a cross-section of groups including train manufacturers, maintenance staff, train drive design engineers and passengers. The reason for that is the ROTEX® spider element is in a position to compensate for shaft misalignment and increases the service life of the drive system whilst the damping characteristics of the spider aid the driving comfort of the vehicle. The curved tooth spline is made from special material which KTR have developed for applications in train technology which maximizes the service life of the coupling, allowing it to easily exceed 1 million kilometers. Major manufacturers of rail vehicles use this coupling in their drives. KTR have recently developed an overload system which makes use of the operating principle of a safety clutch at the same time as having a consistent torque curve. As soon as the overload torque (set precisely by the manufacturer) is achieved, the power flow is interrupted – without any peak in the torque curve. A high repeating accuracy is guaranteed which is crucial for train drives. The same applies when multiple overload instances occur. Tests in the field have shown that overload systems on train drives can be activated up to fifty times a year. This is not a problem for the RUFLEX®. KTR have developed a new type of friction lining resistant to wear and highly effective in protecting against the impact of environmental influences like moisture and lubricants. If requested, this coupling system may be equipped with sensor disks allowing for electronic control of twisting angles and as a result a reliable “Condition Monitor” is achieved. ROTEX® shaft couplings along with the RUFLEX® overload system are already used on the drive system of diesel-electric locomotives. The combination of coupling and overload system is characterised by an extremely low-cost plug-in assembly with a closed housing and short mounting dimensions. The torsionally rigid membrane coupling RADEX® MK is also frequently used for many railway applications. KTR provides the design engineers with a solution for the integration of compact single-bearing motors into the drive system. Here the manufacturers of rail vehicles are faced with a problem. On one hand the drives become more and more powerful, whilst on the other hand the mounting space available becomes more and more compact. In order to achieve more compact dimensions single-bearing designs are used. Here a torsionally rigid coupling is used to transmit the power on the bearing of the rotor to the bearing of the first gearbox step. On this critical application RADEX® MK is the perfect coupling to use because of its high flexibility and its exceptional accuracy in production, thus achieving the precondition required for a smooth running of the power train. This coupling may also be combined with a RUFLEX® overload unit which reliably protects the drive train against torque shocks. KTR’s couplings have a proven track record in train technology with improved passenger comfort, longer service life of drive components and ease of assembly. For further information please contact us.

For more information on KTR COUPLINGS FOR TRAIN TECHNOLOGY talk to KTR U.K. Ltd