5 Products that increase service life in cross-over systems

Thorsten Mersch | 31. March 2020

Anyone who has ever travelled on an older articulated bus or tram will notice what mechanical movements and loads are involved at this point.

Loud squeaking and creaking sounds, meaning you can’t enjoy your own music despite headphones. No wonder. There are extreme dynamic loads in the transitions. Over the years, the joints are stressed by every vibration and every curve, so the required components should withstand 1,000,000 cycles. Added to this is the extreme dirt and dust load in the floor area. Grit, sand and whatever other dirt that sticks to your shoes.

It is therefore all the more important that the wear-resistant parts meet the requirements. Plain bearings and thrust washers for articulated floors must achieve the required service life even under the highest edge loads. In addition, drylin guide rails in the flexible side walls can be used for stroke movements.   Liners such as the tribo-tape protect the bellows from chafing, and extruded sliding plates with a low coefficient of friction are installed in the floor systems.

It is also particularly important that the electrical cables in the transition area are sufficiently protected against wear. Especially in the ceilings of standard gauge railways, people like to use our energy chains. The cables no longer sag, but are still flexible on all sides.