Axle Box and Bearing Dismantling & Washing System

The axle box and bearing dismantling and washing system is a single production line for wagon depots and wheelset overhaul shops that covers the full cycle of axle box work on a freight wagon wheelset — from lifting the wheelset onto the overhead track to delivering clean axle box housings and bearings ready for the next repair operations. The system is designed and manufactured by Techvagonmash and complies with GOST R ISO 12100-2007 and GOST R IEC 60204-1-99 safety requirements.

Contents:

• Purpose and application
• System design and operating principle
• Axle box dismantling and washing — step by step
• Technical specifications
• Key benefits
• Installation, safety and maintenance
• Warranty and accompanying documentation
• FAQ

Purpose and application

The system is designed to dismantle axle boxes from wheelsets, disassemble them, press out bearings, and wash axle box housings, bearings and axle box components. The equipment is intended for continuous operational readiness and is used during scheduled freight wagon maintenance and overhaul, whenever axle box lubricants or bearings need to be replaced.

Typical buyers of this type of equipment are wagon repair plants, wagon depots and wheelset/roller-bearing shops that need to process a steady flow of wheelsets without manually pressing out bearings or washing parts in separate tanks.

System design and operating principle

The system consists of nine main pieces of equipment integrated into a single production flow:

1. Overhead track for axle box dismantling — a welded frame with three lifting-and-turning mechanisms and wheelset stop/roll-off mechanisms; moves wheelsets between work stations. Drives are pneumatic; wheelsets are transferred by rolling.
2. Machine for dismantling freight wagon axle boxes — a rotating cross-frame with three electric nut runners (two four-spindle and one single-spindle) for unscrewing the cover bolts, the end lock washer bolts and the M110 nut.
3. Axle box removal unit — a frame structure with a pneumatic clamp mounted on a FAMATEC manipulator; removes axle boxes from the wheelset and transfers them to the bearing press-out machine.
4. Bearing press-out machine — a hydraulic press-out unit on a frame with a feed table; extracts bearings from the axle box housing for replacement of worn-out lubricants or bearings.
5. Axle box washing and drying machine — a washing unit for axle box housings using a washing solution, equipped with a tank, a solution supply pump and a control cabinet.
6. High-pressure automated bearing washing machine — a washing and drying chamber that processes two bearings simultaneously; includes a tank, an air preparation unit and a disc skimmer.
7. Storage rack for axle box housings and storage rack for bearings — buffer storage for parts after washing, pending the next repair operations.
8. Chute — a gravity chute that moves washed bearings to the storage rack.

All pneumatic drives in the system operate at an air supply pressure of 0.6–0.8 MPa, matching the standard compressed-air network of a wagon repair facility.

Axle box dismantling and washing — step by step

The process is organized as a continuous flow and includes the following stages:

1. The wheelset with axle boxes is fed to the overhead track and lifted by the lifting device to the level of the track rail heads.
2. The wheelset rolls along the track to the axle box dismantling position, where the cover, lock washer and other fasteners are unscrewed on one side first.
3. The lifting-and-turning device rotates the wheelset so the axle box components can be dismantled on the second side.
4. The wheelset moves to a “waiting” position and then to the axle box removal position.
5. The axle box removal unit removes the axle boxes from both sides of the wheelset in turn and transfers them to the bearing press-out machine.
6. Bearings are pressed out of the axle box housing: bearings go to the bearing washing machine, axle box housings go to the axle box washing and drying machine.
7. After washing, bearings travel down the chute to the bearing storage rack, while axle box housings move to the axle box housing storage rack, where they are held until the next repair operation.
8. The wheelset, now free of axle boxes, is transferred by the stop/roll-off mechanism to the lowering device and returned to the workshop rail level.

Technical specifications

Key benefits

• Single production flow. Dismantling, disassembly, bearing press-out and washing all happen on one line, without manual transport of axle boxes between separate shop areas.
• Pneumatic automation instead of manual labor. Every key operation — from moving wheelsets along the overhead track to unscrewing threaded fasteners — is mechanized, reducing labor input and injury risk.
• Separate washing for bearings and axle box housings on two dedicated machines delivers thorough cleaning of parts with different geometry in just 2–4 minutes.
• FAMATEC manipulator in the axle box removal unit provides precise positioning with a 3000 mm working radius and 250 kg load capacity.
• Compliance with safety standards — GOST 12.2.003-91, GOST 12.2.061-81, GOST 12.2.062-81, GOST R IEC 60204-1-99.

FAQ

What is the axle box and bearing dismantling and washing system used for?
It removes axle boxes from wheelsets, disassembles them, presses out bearings, and washes axle box housings, bearings and axle box components at wagon repair facilities.

What is the throughput of the system?
3 wheelsets per hour, with a maximum wheelset weight of 1600 kg.

What machines does the system consist of?
An overhead track for axle box dismantling, a machine for dismantling freight wagon axle boxes, an axle box removal unit built on a FAMATEC manipulator, a bearing press-out machine, an axle box washing and drying machine, a high-pressure automated bearing washing machine, storage racks for axle box housings and bearings, and a chute.

What warranty does the manufacturer provide?
12 months from commissioning, but no more than 18 months from the date of shipment from the manufacturer’s warehouse.

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Interested in a technical and commercial proposal for the axle box and bearing dismantling and washing system? Contact us: market@tvagonm.com.ua, tel. +38 (067) 818-18-20. Full product description and technical specifications are available on the product page: Axle Box and Bearing Dismantling & Washing System.