Rolling Bearings in High Speed Passenger Traffic

Passenger transport today runs significantly faster than some decades ago and often operates on separate tracks especially constructed for high speed trains. As rolling bearings are very important components in the bogies of trains they have to be suitably designed for high speed. The maximum train speeds reach up to 380 km/h (236 mph) for the latest high speed applications which are 80% higher than in the earlier days of high speed traffic. The paper presents a couple of application examples of modern high speed traffic together with some typical bearing arrangements and housings. It gives some insight into measures taken in the bearing industry to meet the requirements of contemporary high speed traffic and it mentions important standards and regulations applicable for, but not restricted to European applications. The main focus is on journal bearings. Information on traction motor bearings, transmission bearings and housings is included but described in less detail.