On Track towards Railway 4.0: Digitalizing Railways with Schaeffler

ReportLinker forecasts that the worldwide digital railway market will achieve a substantial size of US$103.7 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% during the forecast period. Urbanization and digitalization are significant catalysts fueling market growth. As population and spending power increase, the demand for convenient transportation escalates as well. The rolling stock industry’s need for agile and rapid transportation systems further propels railway digitalization.

Next-Generation Reconditioned Bearings: Optimizing Data-Informed Decisions
In the railway sector, safety and reliability are paramount. Often, opting to recondition used rolling bearings proves to be a more economical choice than using new bearings, while also offering the advantage of shorter delivery times.

Axlebox bearings are designed for long-lasting performance, spanning millions of kilometers. However, the key factor limiting their mileage is the lubricant. Reconditioning involves thorough inspection and replacement of individual components if necessary. Schaeffler, a leading German manufacturer of rolling element bearings for automotive, aerospace and industrial use can retrofit used axlebox bearings with a Data Matrix Code (DMC). Scanning the DMC reveals vital information like mileage, age, and hot-running notifications from the bearing's operating data. This can also be done with gearbox bearings allowing better assessment of the bearings' performance and facilitating the extension of maintenance intervals.

According to a study conducted by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, defective bearings have a substantial impact on fuel economy and efficiency, particularly at higher speeds. In a direct comparison, it was found that the defective bearings caused a significant 9% reduction in fuel efficiency. To quantify, in a 10,000-mile trip with 59 fully loaded wagons traveling at 97 km/h, the train equipped with 25% faulty bearings consumed 271 gallons (1025.85 liters) more diesel compared to the same train with all healthy bearings. The data gathered by the railway bearings’ DMC can inform decisions regarding bearing maintenance leading to better fuel economy and lower energy consumption.

Enhancing Rail Passenger Experience by Optimizing Operations 
Research and Markets reports that the global passenger rail transport market is expected to grow from $250.93 billion in 2022 to $357.84 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%. This growth further drives the need to enhance the passenger rail experience via digitalization. Utilizing data to conduct predictive maintenance instead of reactive maintenance reduces train downtime, increases availability, and removes disruptions from a passenger’s journey. The DMC on rail bearings can provide estimates of the residual life of a bearing in the remaining mileage of operation. This allows the railcar to remain in operation without unnecessary train interruptions and delays since the defects would be detected early which also ensures passenger safety. 

Case Study 

The main focus of our collaaboration with SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) was the direct exchange of bearing data based on the DMC to GS1 standard while addressing the issues of collecting bearing data and the systematic reconditioning of rail bearings. The DMC allowed traceability throughout the bearing’s entire life cycle and this catalysed the creation of a digital twin of the bearing. Operating data is continually added to the digital twin allowing maintenance and overhauls to be scheduled efficiently. SBB is able to manage rail maintenance at a component level and correlate damage patterns with operating data like service life, route profile or wagon load. 

Every axlebox bearing sent to Schaeffler for reconditioning is sent back fully functioning for the next operating cycle. This 100% Return service offers 100% predictability to our clients. Benefits of digitally managed bearings include having information about the number of bearings installed and fast identification of worn bearings. This allows clients such as SBB to improve the availability of rail vehicles and reduce fault-related outages. Reconditioning axlebox bearings compared to new production consumes less energy and had reduced CO2 emissions by 534 tonnes (equivalent to a car journey of 3.2 million kilometers). Additionally, 1,923 MWh of energy and 7055m³ of water was saved. 

Digitalize and optimize your rail fleet by contacting us today.

Find out more about our Rail Digitalization and Reconditioning Services

Sources: 
Optimizing Power Consumption of Freight Railroad Bearings Using Laboratory Experimental Data. Carlos E. Lopez, III, Constantine Tarawneh, Arturo Fuentes, Harry Siegal [https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=me_fac]

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