UK: Norbar Torque Tools’ specialist engineering department has developed a unique tool to meet London Underground’s requirements for removing and refitting the inter-car coupler mounting bolts on the Victoria Line fleet.
The coupler mounting on the Bombardier Transportation trainsets has four bolts with a significant boss in the middle that houses an absolute position reader. It can only be accessed from the underside of the train, either from a pit road or with the train jacked up.
The bolts must be tightened to a torque of 1 050 Nm, but the upper two bolts are particularly difficult to access because they are deeper into the train and surrounded by other hardware.
LU supplier Hayley Group contacted Norbar with the requirements, and the Banbury-based company designed a Pneutorque PTS tool with a specially developed drive that is slim, long and offset, using a series of gears arranged in line.
The gearbox is supplied with quick change reaction arms in order to reach all of the bolts and safely take the torque reaction. The aluminium bodied gearbox and tool head can be positioned on the bolt before the driving unit is coupled on, significantly reducing the total weight that has to be lifted and making positioning much easier.
‘When Hayley Group and London Underground approached us about their bolting challenges at the Northumberland Park depot, it was clear that the Bombardier 09 Stock trains would require a specialist solution’, said Philip Brodey, Head of New Product Development at Norbar Torque.
‘The development was a complex process that involved the use of a 3D printed model to ensure that the tool could reach all of the bolts required. We are very pleased with the final result as there is no off-the-shelf solution to an application such as this.’
