Cleaning trains and railways

General

In case of maintenance and repair, heat exchangers, brakes, compressors etc. have to be cleaned underneath the trains.

Previous technique

Frequently, high-pressure cleaners are used, with the following problems

• High water consumption
• Splash effects and damage; water is spread all around
• The traction unit is positioned at an angle, i.e. the heat exchangers are not fully accessible.
• Certain parts such as heat exchangers can be bent or even irreparably destroyed by high pressure.

Advantages of low-pressure hot cleaning technology

• Gentle cleaning process with 8 bar
• No splash-back effects; targeted cleaning is possible
• Less water consumption
• The environment is not affected
• Fragile parts such as heat exchangers are not damaged
• The operator can get closer to the part to be cleaned and rinse it efficiently and in a targeted manner
• Dirt water collection tray with high splash protection and water recycling reduces resource consumption
• Can also be used for parts cleaning

Task definition

Cleaning of Trailer coupling devices covered with dirt and grease in built-in condition to allow a visual inspection. Furthermore it has to be tested whether freshly pressed-in grease leaks from the bearing or the ball pin.

Cleaning

The components were cleaned in the assembled state at the carriage with B1200 from a pit. Very restricted space conditions and the collecting of the cleaning liquid do not make the job easy. After the first cleaning from the outside almost all grease and dirt could be removed. Furthermore the lubrication nipple at the coupling was removed and prepared for the holding of the ph-cleantec pistol by an adaptor. Thus the coupling pin could be rinsed from the inside with cleaning agent and hot water. Through this, most of dirt and grease was pressed out of the coupling from the inside.

Advantage

By the towing device cleaned from the inside it could be tested whether and where the fresh grease leaks during lubrication. Without this possibility the complete towing device has to be disassembled/assembled; which causes an assembly time of approx. 8-9 hours.