by Stefano Cantini, Steven Cervello and Riccardo Gallo
‘The wheelset is not a component like any other; it is at the centre of the railway system, its safety and its performance’, writes former SNCF Rolling Stock Director Alain Bullot in his foreword to this treatise on wheelset maintenance. Emphasising the importance of minimising life-cycle costs to keep railways competitive in the 21st century, he adds that ‘monitoring is the key to maintenance policy’.
The ninth volume in the LRS Techno series on railway wheelsets discusses maintenance principles and policies, drawing on experience from many users to support the evolution of best practice.
The book is divided into five sections. The first looks at traditional approaches to maintenance and the impact of European directives in creating the role of Entity in Charge of Maintenance. The second looks at designing wheelsets for efficient maintenance and the need for return of experience to inform this process. Part 3 draws on the work of Prof Stefano Betetta from Politecnico di Milano in considering the principles behind reliability-based maintenance regimes. The fourth section looks at opportunities for cost savings in wheelset maintenance and the impact of recent technical innovations on life-cycle costs. The final sector presents a range of case studies working through maintenance regimes for commuter, freight and high speed applications.
A companion handbook of wheelset service faults provides a ‘smart guide’ to common problems for depot operators.
ISBN 978-8-890-62408-7
Available from Lucchini RS, Via G Paglia 45, 24065 Lovere, Italy
