SUM
S MME
ER T
TRAININ
NG 
RE
EPO
ORT
T 
Axle Box Cyllindricall Roller Bearingg for Loccomotiv
ve 
Bogiees) 
                                              (14 JU
UNE 2010 tto 12 JULY 2010 ) 
 
 

Suubmitted by                                                                                                                   SSubmitted to
Yaadbir Singh                                                                                                                        S.k Sachan
3rd
r
nt of Mechanical Engineering                                                        Vehiicle, Motive P
 year studen Power 
Bhabha Institu ute of Technology Kanpur D Dehat                                       RDSO Manaak Nagar,Luckknow 
 
 
 Page 2 of 50 
 

 
 Page 3 of 50 
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and deep sense of gratitude to all
those who helped me to writing this Report. First, I would like to express my sincere
thanks to my sir Mr. S.K Sachan of RDSO, Manak Nagar, Lucknow. I would also
like to express my thanks to Er. Bhupendra Singh, NTPC Singarulii, special thanks
to Surjeet Kumar in RDSO. Motive Power.

This most sincere and important acknowledgement and gratitude is due to my

parents, who have given their moral boosting support and encouragements at some
stage of this endeavor.

Yadbir Singh
Students of Mechanical Engineering
Bhabha Institute of Technology,
Kanpur, India.
Email Id. Idealsuncity@gmail.com
Suncity12300@gmail.com
 Page 4 of 50 
 

INDEX
Sr.No Contains Page NO.
1. Introductions about RDSO 5
2. Quality objectives for the 6-7.
year 2008- 09
3. Infrastructure and RDSO 7-11
Lab.
4. Nomenclature adopted by 11-15
the Indian railways for the
locomotives operating on
the Indian railways.
5. Bearings (General  16-20
Description) 
6. Terminology for servicing tools 20-21.
7. Disassembly of roller 21-22
bearing axle boxes
8. Cleaning of bearings, axle 23-24
boxes and components
9. Checking of axle journals, 25-26
axle boxes, roller bearings
and components
10. Assembly 26-29
11. Lubrication 29-31
12. Periodic attention and 31-37
service inspections
13. Running instructions and 38-39
inspection of bearings of
locos involved in fire,
floods and accidents
14. General instructions 39-40
regarding cleanliness,
storage and handling of
bearing
15. Replacement of bearings 40-41
parts and
interchangeability of axle
boxes
16. Terminology of bearing 42-45
defects
17. Bearing used in Indian 46-48
railways
18. Bearing life Calculation 48-49.
 Page 5 of 50 
 

1 INTR
RODUCTIO
ON

Railways weere introducced in Indiaa in 1853 and as theiir

R
development progressed through too the twentieth centuryy,
seeveral comp pany managged systemss grew up. To enforcce
sttandardizatioon and co-oordination amongst
a varrious railwaay
syystems, the Indian Railw way Confereence Associaation (IRCA A)
w set up in
was n 1903, followed by the Central Stanndards Officce
(CCSO) in 19 930, for preeparation off designs, sttandards annd
sppecificationss. Howeverr, till indeppendence, mostm of thhe
designs and manufacture
m of railway equipments
e w entrusted
was
too foreign co W Indepenndence and the resultannt
onsultants. With
phhenomenal increase in country’s industrial
i annd economiic
acctivity, whicch increased the demandd of rail transportation - a
new organizzation calledd Railway Testing annd Research
C
Centre (RTRC C) was setupp in 1952 at Lucknow foor testing annd
coonducting applied
a reseearch for development
d t of railwaay
roolling stock, permanent way
w etc.

Central Stand
C dards Office (CSO) and the Railwayy Testing annd
R
Research Cen ntre (RTRCC) were integgrated into a single uniit
named Reseearch Designs and Standards Organization
(R
RDSO) in 1957,
1 under Ministry off Railways at Lucknow w.
T status of RDSO haas been channged from an RDSO is
The i
headed by a Director
D Genneral The Director Generral is assisted
byy Additionaal Director General,
G Sr. Executive Directors
D annd
E
Executive Diirectors, heaading differrent directorrates. RDSO O
has various directorates for
fo smooth fuunctioning.
 Page 6 of 50 
 

2.QUALITY ASSURANCE Hitherto, the quality assurance function in respect of

vendor approval and purchase inspection of these items including publication of vendor
directories was being looked after by individual technical directorates of RDSO along
with their normal functions of research, development and standardization. To impart
greater thrust to quality assurance, Railway Board has approved the creation of a separate
Quality Assurance Organization at RDSO in Sept.2002 for Technical disciplines i.e.
Mechanical Engineering. Including M&C, Civil Engineering. S&T & Electrical
Engineering. Each headed by Executive Director under the overall charge of an HAG
officer. With the creation of this Quality Assurance Organization, focused attention and
close monitoring of vendor approval and purchase inspection activities.

FUNCTIONS

 RDSO is the sole R&D organization of Indian Railways and functions as the
technical advisor to Railway Board Zonal Railways and Production Units and
performs the following important functions :

 Development of new and improved designs.

 Development, adoption, absorption of new technology for use on Indian

Railways.

 Development of standards for materials and products specially needed by Indian

Railways.

 Technical investigation, statutory clearances, testing and providing consultancy

services.

 Inspection of critical and safety items of rolling stock, locomotives, signaling &
telecommunication equipment and track components.

GOVERNING COUNCIL
Governing Council comprises of Chairman, Railway Board as Chairman; and Financial
Commissioner, Member Engineering, Member Mechanical, Member Staff, Member
Electrical, Member Traffic, Addl. Member (Plg)/ Railway Board and Director
General, RDSO as its members. The functions of Governing Council are:

 To identify and approve the R&D projects for technology development on Indian
Railways.

 To review the progress of projects.

 Page 7 of 50 
 

 To determine the quantum of direct investment in technology development

within the overall allocation of funds under the plan head 'Railway Research'.

 To give direction for improving the working of RDSO.

CENTRAL BOARD OF RAILWAY RESEARCH

Central Board of Railway Research (CBRR) consist of DG/RDSO as Chairman, Addl.
Member (Civil Engineering.), Addl. Member (Mechanical Engineering), Addl. Member
(Elect.), Addl. Member (Sig), Addl. Member (traffic), Advisor (Finance), Executive
Director (E&R), Executive Director (Plg.)/Railway Board as members and Addl. Director
General/RDSO as member secretary. Non- Railways members of CBRR consist of
eminent scientists, technologists, engineers and senior executives of other research
organisations, academic institutions and industrial units related to
railway technology and materials. Functions of CBRR are:

 To consider and recommend the programmers of research on Indian Railways.

 To review the research programmers from time to time.

 To ensure coordination and assistance from other research laboratories.

 To review the ongoing projects from the technical angle.

3 INFRASTRUCTURE

RDSO has a number of laboratories which are well equipped with research and testing
facilities for development, testing and design evaluation of various railway related
equipments and materials. Some of these are:

1)
Air Brake Laboratory is equipped with facilities for simulating operation of air
brakes on freight trains up to 192 wagons and 3 locomotives as also for simulation
of passenger trains up to 30 coaches.

Brake Dynamometer Laboratory has facilities to develop and test brake friction
materials for locomotives, coaches and wagons. A unique facility in India, this
laboratory has also been used by R&D organizations of Ministry of Defense like
DMRL, DRDL and HAL for indigenization of brake pads for defense aircraft.
 Page 8 of 50 
 

B&S Laboratory has a 6mx14m heavy/testing floor on which full scale models of
beam (spans up to 10 m, slabs, columns, towers, shells and other components
made of concrete, steel, brick etc can be tested under static, dynamic or pulsating
loads. A high frequency ranging 250-700 cycles/min pulsate for the application of
a pulsating loads varying from 2 to 20 tones and a maximum static load of 40
tonnnes on heavy duty testing floor. The Laboratory is equipped with analogue
strain indicator, multi channel dynamic strain recording system, switching &
balancing units, acoustic emission equipment, data acquisition system etc. for
recording various parameters.

Diesel Engine Development Laboratory has four test beds capable of testing
diesel engines from 100 to 6000 HP with fully computerized systems for
recording of over 128 test parameters at a time. This facility has already enabled
RDSO to develop technologies for improving fuel efficiency, reliability and
availability of diesel engines as well as to extract higher output from existing
diesel engines. Fatigue Testing Laboratory for testing prototype locomotive and
rolling stock bogies, springs and other railway equipments subjected to stress and
fatigue so as to ascertain their expected life in service. Geo-technical Engineering
Laboratory is equipped with facilities for determining strength parameters of soil
in lab and field condition. The State-of-art Sub-surface Interface Radar (SIR)
system, Laser based soil particle analyzer, and computerized consolidation test
apparatus have been installed in the lab. The lab also has computerized Static
Triaxial Shear apparatus for determining the strength of soil as well as the design
of embankment. Metallurgical & Chemical Laboratory is capable of
destructive and non-destructive testing of metals, polymers, composites,
petroleum products and paints for providing information to be used in design and
also for monitoring performance of materials in service.

The M&C laboratory include Scanning Electron Microscope, Direct reading

spectrometer, Ultrasonic Flaw Detector and other non destructive examination
equipment, polymer and composite evaluation facilities, thermal analyser,
corrosion engineering evaluation facilities including weather meter, static 760
hour AR test rig for grease testing. V2F dynamic test rig for grease testing, lube
oil filter evaluation rig Cetane rating machine & 50t machine for rubber
deflection characteristics.

Psycho-Technical
2) Laboratory for assessment of critical psycho-physical attributes of operational
staff such as drivers, switchmen and station masters for efficient operation. The
ergonomic laboratory of psycho-technical Dte is also equipped with bio-feedback
 Page 9 of 50 
 

system for assessment of EMG, GSR (Galvanic Skin Resistance) temperature,

pulse and respiration rate & is used for stress management exercises.

Signal Testing Laboratory for testing of all types of signaling equipments such
as safety signaling relays, block instruments, power supply equipments, point
machines, signaling cables, electro-mechanical signaling equipments/
components etc. There is an exclusive environmental testing section equipped
with environmental testing facilities as per ISO 9000. These is including,
programmable heat, humidity & cold chambers, mould growth, dust, rain
chambers. Signaling Equipment Development Centre has been set up in the
Signaling Lab. In this Centre, working signaling equipment & systems have been
set up. The working systems include SSI, universal axle counter, VLSI axle
counter, AFTCs, block instruments etc. In addition, equipment developed by
RDSO, such as signaling relays, poly-carbonate lenses, LED signal lamps, triple
pole double filament lamps, power supply equipment etc., have also been
displayed. This centre will be used for testing minor improvements in designs of
SSI, axle counters etc., as well as for imparting training to newly inducted
Inspectors.
3) Track Laboratory for testing full scale track panel under dynamic load patterns
similar to those encountered in service. Stresses at the various locations of track
components under simulated load conditions are measured and recorded for
analysis. This has helped in rationalising and optimising design of track
structures for Indian conditions. The facility of fatigue testing of welded rail
joints is also available. n connection with joint research project of UIC on rail
defect management, RDSO has been entrusted with lab testing of rail samples
from various world railways under simulated loading conditions.Special rail
tensioning system for application of longitudinal forces on rail samples to
simulate the thermal forces of the field has indigenously been developed, installed
and commissioned in track lab. This system, with capacity of up to 150 tonne in
static condition, is being used to conduct testing of different rail samples.

Mobile Test Facilities

4) for recording of track parameters, locomotive power and conducting oscillograph
trials for evaluating vehicle-track interaction as also for monitoring track
conditions. For condition monitoring of OHE under live line and to facilitate
directed maintenance of electrification, a Network of testing and recording
apparatus (NETRA) car, first of its kind, developed by RDSO is actively in
service for scanning OHE in Railway.

Vehicle Characterization Laboratory for conducting

 Page 10 of 50 
 

vehicle characterisation tests on railway vehicles to study the behaviour of

suspension systems and to determine natural frequencies
5) Centre for Advanced Maintenance Technology at Gwalior for upgrading
maintenance technologies, and methodologies. Also to achieve improvements in
productivity and performance of all railway assets and manpower. This covers
reliability, availability, utilization and efficiency.

6) LIBRARY
Considerable efforts and resources were devoted on the development of
an outstanding Library collection to meet the expanding needs of Research and
Development. The Library has more than 1.70 lakhs volumes which includes
books, reports, specifications, and translations on Science, Engineering,
Technology, Management and Railways. About 100 technical journals and
magazines both Indian and foreign origin are received in the Library regularly.
 Page 11 of 50 
 

4 Nomenclature adopted by the Indian railways for the locomotives

operating on the Indian railways.

The numbering system of locomotives comprises two parts. First, the code prefix such as
'WDM-2' or 'WAM-4' which denotes the type/class of the loco; and second, a serial
number such as '17604'. Each letter in the code-prefix has a specific significance, and the
understanding of this would help us in the overall understanding of the nomenclature
adopted on IR, as well as the varied types of locomotives running on the IR.

The first (left-most) letter denotes the gauge. Thus, 'W' stands for Broad Gauge, 'Y' is
Metre Gauge and 'Z' is Narrow Gauge. We will normally see one of these letters as the
first letter in the number of the loco.

The Steam Saga

In the bygone era, life was simple, because there was only one category of loco, based on
the fuel is used. Those were days of the elegant, huffing and puffing steam locos, also
colloquially called 'coal engines'. In those days, on the broad gauge, we had:

 'WP' class locos, with a hemispherical front, which gave the loco a very majestic
and powerful look.
 'WG' class locos, which had a flat front.

The letters 'P' and 'G' indicated Passenger service and Goods service, respectively. Its
means that 'WP' was a broad gauge passenger service loco, while 'WG' was a broad gauge
goods service locomotive. Due to the shift to diesel and electric traction, both these types
of locos are no longer in service on IR, and can be seen only in museums.

On the meter gauge, we had the omnipresent 'YP' class locos, which, unlike their broad-
gauge counterparts (WP), had a flat front. The goods trains on the meter gauge were
pulled by 'YG' class locos, which had a look similar to the 'YP' locos.

Thus, in the days of steam traction, the second letter indicated the 'service class' of the
loco, and mainly the 'WP'. 'WG', 'YP' & 'YG' class of steam locos dominated the IR
scene.

The Change from Solid to Liquid Fuel

Then, in the sixties, came diesel traction, and life became a little more difficult. Most of
the diesel locos operating on broad gauge are 'WDM-2' series, where 'W' is Broad Gauge,
'D' is Diesel, and 'M' is 'Mixed' (service). These versatile locos, made in India at DLW,
 Page 12 of 50 
 

Varanasi under license from ALCO, USA, have put in an exceedingly meritorious and
long service in hauling passenger as well as goods trains, both singly and in pairs.

The number '2' indicates that it is a second generation loco, from design technology point
of view. Its predecessor 'WDM-1' was used in much smaller numbers and were last seen
on the Durg-Nagpur section of South Eastern Railway, hauling goods trains. The
peculiarity of the WDM-1 was that it had the driver's cab only on one end, while the
other end was flat -- like the ends of passenger coaches. So, while it appeared flush with
the load behind it, the WDM- 1 had to be reversed for the journey in the opposite
direction. On the other hand, 'WDM-2', though unsymmetrical, can be used in any
direction without the need of reversing, thanks to the design of its driver's cab.

WDM-2's cousin on the meter gauge is an equally versatile 'YDM-4', while that on the
narrow gauge is ZDM-1. You will also find 'WDS-4' bringing passenger trains into
platform at the starting stations. ('S' indicates 'shunting class'). There are other variants
such as 'WDP-1' ('P' for 'passenger service', and higher-powered (3100hp), 'WDP-2' and
'WDG-2' locos for passenger and goods service respectively.

While 'WDM-2' and its related variants are based on ALCO designs, IR has recently gone
in for a new technology, powerful (4000hp) locos based on the designs of General
Motors, USA. These locos are christened 'WDG-4' ('G' for Goods), and these are
manufactured at DLW. These locos can be seen operating on the Hubli Division of the
South Central Railway, hauling goods trains carrying bulk ore.

On the narrow gauge, locos such as 'ZDM' operate on Kangra Valley Railway and Kalka-
Shimla Railway, while other narrow gauge variants pull tourist trains on the Neral-
Matheran Railway near Mumbai.

The Electric Locomotives

The advent and the progress of Electric Traction has further complicated the numbering
system. From a simple 'WP' or 'WG', we now move on to more complex nomenclatures
such as 'WCAM-3', an addition of as many as 3 characters. But this addition is not
without adequate meaning, as we will realise after the following discussion.
 Page 13 of 50 
 

Electricity co
E omes in two
foorms -- AC
(AAlternating Current)
C
annd DC (Direect
C
Current). On Indian
R
Railways, thee Mumbai-
Pune, Mumbaai-Igatpuri
annd Mumbai--Virar
seections are fed
f by DC
suupply (1,500 0V DC),
w
while all otheer sections
arre fed by AC C supply
(225,000V AC C).
T
Therefore, thee
nomenclaturee system
foor electric lo
ocos
inncludes a lettter to
differentiate between
b locoos with DC traction
t from
m those withh AC tractionn. As per thiss
syystem, 'A' inndicates 'AC traction' whhile 'C' indicaates 'DC tracction (not 'D', so as to avvoid
anny confusion n with diesell). One can, therefore, find 'WCG' cllass locos (B Broad Gaugee, DC
trraction, Goods duty) opeerating on thhe Mumbai Division,
D while their counnterparts 'W
WAG'
loocos haul bro oad gauge gooods trains on o AC tractioon elsewherre on LR. Sim milarly, trainns,
suuch as Mum mbai-Pune Deeccan Queenn Express weere, till recenntly, hauled by b gigantic
'W
WCM-l' and 'WCM-5' ('M M' for 'Mixeed' service, juust as in 'WDDM-2'), whille Mail/Exprress
trrains in the other
o parts off the countryy are powereed by AC eleectric locos such
s as 'WAAM-4'
(BBroad Gaugee, AC Tractiion, Mixed service).
s

The WAM-4 Ioco has beeen producedd in very largge numbers (upward
T ( of 500),
5 and is in
i
seervice very widely
w in Inddia. Its predeecessor WAM M-1/2/3 cann be seen opeerating on
E
Eastern Railw
way, for instaance, on Seaaldah Divisioon. 'WAG-2'' is of Hitachhi design andd
opperates main nly on the Bhhusawal Divvision of Cenntral Railwayy. This is a very
v handsomme-
loooking loco, which is alsso the case with
w its 'younnger brother'', the 'YAM--1' used for
hauling trainss on the onlyy electrified metre
m gaugee section on IR
I namely thhe Chennai-
C
Chengalpattu u section. Unnder Project Umgauge
U beeing implemmented by thee railways, thhis
seection will get
g convertedd to broad gaauge, and raiil enthusiastss will surelyy miss the sigght of
thhis lovely locco hauling a load of mettre gauge coaaches.

What WAM-4 is to Mail//Express traiins, 'WAG-55' is to goodss trains operaating on the

W
brroad gauge. The WAG-S S is the mostt common looco for hauliing BG freigght trains on AC
trraction. More than 700 loocos of this variety can be
b seen on LR.
L
 Page 14 of 50 
 

Driven by thee ever-growiing need for more speed & power, we

D w have seenn technologiccal
addvancements on the IR scene
s too. Thhus we now can commoonly see a huuge, 5000
horsepower, red-coloured
r d, and well-ccontoured locco, the 'WAP P-4' hauling super-fast Mail
M
prr Express traains of as maany as 24 cooaches in varrious parts off the countryy. This BG-A
AC
Passenger Serrvice loco iss capable of achieving
a sppeeds upto 140 kilometrees per hour. Its
prredecessors,, the 'WAP-ll' and 'WAP--3' can be fouund in muchh lesser numbbers -- they were
prrobably used d to improvee the designss, which has now been addopted on thhe 'WAP4'

M
Modern Tech
hnology

T conventio
The onal locos had:
h

 DC motors
m fed byy DC overhead supply, suuch as for WCM,
W WCG locos (Electtric
locos,, DC tractionn)
 AC ov verhead suppply, stepped down throuugh a multi-w winding transformer,
rectifiied by static
rectifiiers, whose
outputt was fed to
the DC C motors.
Locoss such as
WAM M, WAP,
WAG G are
equipp ped with thiss
techno ology.
(Electtric locos,
AC traaction).
 Diesel fuel drivingg
an eng gine, which
operattes an
alternator, whose
AC Ellectric
outputt was
rectifiied and fed to
t the DC mootors, in locoos such as WDM-2,
W WDDP, WDG. Due D to
this th
he diesel locoos are actuallly 'diesel-electric locos. These locoss were actuaally
with an
a on-board moving pow werhouse opeerated on dieesel fuel.

The latest tecchnological innovation inn traction is the

T t use of 3--phase AC motors
m insteaad of
D motors ass the prime movers
DC m in the loco. Withh a desire to implement this
t technoloogy,
IRR purchasedd, under a traansfer of techhnology agreeement, two new types ofo electric loccos
frrom ADtranzz. These locoos, one withh 6000hp, 160km/h (upgrradable to 2000km/h), andd the
otther with 6000hp, 100km m/h capabilitty, are christtened as WA AP-5 and WAAG-9 on thee
Inndian Railwaays. These can
c be seen operating
o on the Northerrn and Easterrn Railways
hauling maillexpress and goods trainss respectivelly.

The technolog
T gy of AC mootors as pnm
me movers appplied to dieesel traction is also now
avvailable with
h the IR. in the
t form of the
t WDG-4 loco, being produced
p at DLW underr
 Page 15 of 50 
 

another technology transfer agreement (with General Motors, USA). This 4000hp,
160km/h loco will be found in increasing numbers as the production gradually increases.

While on one side this technology transfer was under progress, IR, through Chittaranjan
Locomotive Works and RDSO, have in parallell developed an indigenous, powerful
5000hp loco for freight traffic, called the 'WAG-7'. This loco is already under
manufacture at CLW, and can operate at speeds upto 100km/h.

A Technological Challenge for the Railway Engineer

Since Mumbai Division is the only division on IR to have DC overhead supply, there is a
need to change from DC to AC (or vice-versa) for trains going out of (or coming into)
Mumbai. This changeover takes place at three locations. On the Central Railway route
towards north and east, this change takes place at Igatpuri -- on the platform -- in the
form of change of the locomotive. On the south-bound route, the changeover is to a diesel
loco, at Pune station. But the most interesting is the changeover on the Western Railway
route, towards Vadodara/Delhi. This change happens while the train is in full motion --
without any stopping or jerks whatsoever. To achieve this, the trains on Mumbai Central -
Vadodara / Ahmadabad route are operated by 'dual-traction' locos of WCAM series. (BG,
DC and AC traction, Mixed service). The changeover takes place just north of Virar, over
a neutral section, while the passengers inside the train normally remain oblivious of such
a major (technical) happening!

The Numerals

After having discussed and understood the alphabetic nomenclature prevalent in naming
the locos operating on IR, let us take a brief look at the numerals too. Today, most locos
have a 5-digit number after the type-code. The first two digits (from left) also signify the
type of the loco, and the remaining three digits denote the serial number in that category.
Thus WAP-4 class locos always have numbers beginning 22, while WCG class locos
start with 20. The new generation WAP-5 and WAG-9 locos have numbers in the 30 and
31 series.
 Page 16 of 50 
 

Axle Box Cylindrical Roller Bearing for Locomotive Bogies) 

5 BEARINGS
(GENERAL DESCRIPTION)

The cross-sections of cylindrical axle roller bearings with the location of all the
parts of the assembly on the journal.
The assemblies are a combination of two separate bearings capable of taking
radial as well as axial thrust loads.
The roller bearing is composed of a cylindrical inner and an outer race/ring along
with rollers and cages. The cages while carrying no load keep the rolling elements
axially apart and also prevent the later from falling out while handling. The outer ring is
a slide fit on the axle box housing while the inner ring is an interference fit on the axle
journal forming part of the axle when in place. The rollers have a special cylindrical
profile, which enables uniform and effective load distribution.
The bearing parts are made of nickel-chromium / carbon chromium alloy steels
except cage, which is of solid brass / brass riveted.

The full analysis of heavily loaded plain bearings is extremely complex. For so called
‘lightly-loaded bearings’ the calculation of power loss is simple for both journal and
thrust bearings. Important factors are, load capacity, length ton diameter ratio, and
allowable pressure on bearing material. Information is also given on rolling bearings.

The terms rolling-contact bearing, antifriction bearing, and rolling bearing are all used
to describe that class of bearing in which the main load is transferred through features in
rolling contact rather than in sliding contact. In a rolling bearing the starting friction is
nearly twice the running friction, but still it is negligible in comparison with the starting
friction of a sleeve bearing. Load, speed, and the operating viscosity of the lubricant do
affect the frictional characteristics of a rolling bearing. It is probably a mistake to
describe a rolling bearing as “antifriction,” but the term is used generally throughout the
industry, the study of antifriction bearings differs in several respects when compared with
the study of other topics because the bearings they specify have already been designed.
The specialist in antifriction-bearing design is confronted with the problem of designing a
group of features that compose a rolling bearing: these features must be designed to fit
into a space whose dimensions are specified; they must be designed to receive a load
having certain characteristics; and finally, these features must be designed to have a
satisfactory life when operated under the specified conditions. Bearing specialists must
therefore consider such matters as fatigue loading, friction, heat, corrosion resistance,
kinematic problems, material properties, lubrication, machining tolerances, assembly,
 Page 17 of 50 
 

use, and cost.. From a connsideration of

o
alll these facctors, bearinng specialistts
arrrive at a coompromise that, in theiir
juudgment, is a good sollution to thhe
prroblem as stated. We begin
b with an
a
ovverview of bearing typpes; then we w
note that bearing
b life cannot be b
described in deterministtic form. We W
inntroduce thee invariant, the
t statisticaal
distribution of
o life, whicch is strongly
W
Weibullian.

Bearing Typ
B pes
B
Bearings aree manufactuured to takke
puure radial looads, pure thhrust loads, or
o
a combination n
of the two kiinds of loadss. The nomennclature of a ball bearingg is illustrateed.
w
which also shhows the fouur essential parts
p of a beearing. Thesee are the outter ring, the inner
riing, the ballss or rolling features,
f andd the separatoor as shown in figure on next page.

T completely understandd the statisticcal features

To

seeparator is sometimes omitted, buut it has thee importantt function of o separatingg the
feeatures so th
hat rubbing contact
c will not
n occur. Inn this sectionn we includee a selection from
thhe many ty ypes of sttandardized bearings that t are manufactured
m d. Most beearing
m
manufacturer rs provide enngineering manuals
m and brochures containing
c laavish descripptions
of the variouss types availlable. In the small spacee available here, only a meager
m outliine of
soome of the most
m commoon types can be given. Soo you shouldd include a survey s of beearing
m
manufacturer rs’ literature in your stuudies of thiss section. Soome of the various types of
sttandardized bearings thhat are manuufactured Thhe single-roow deep-groove bearingg will
taake radial lo
oad as well as some thruust load. Thhe balls are inserted intoo the groovees by
m
moving the in
nner ring to an eccentricc position. The
T balls aree separated after
a loadingg, and
thhe separatorr is then insserted. The use of a fillling notch in i the innerr and outer rings
ennables a greeater numberr of balls too be insertedd, thus increasing the looad capacity. The
thhrust capacitty is decreased, howeveer, because of the bumpping of the balls againsst the
eddge of the nootch when thhrust loads are
a present. TheT angular--contact bearring
prrovides a greeater thrust capacity.
c All these beariings may be obtained wiith shields onn one
orr both sides.. The shieldss are not a complete clossure but do offer
o a meassure of proteection
aggainst dirt. A variety ofo bearings are manufacctured with seals on onne or both sides. s
W
When the seaals are on booth sides, thhe bearings are
a lubricateed at the facctory. Althouugh a
seealed bearin ng is suppoosed to be lubricated for life, a method off relubricatioon is
soometimes provided.
p Siingle-row bearings
b willl withstandd a small amount
a of shaft
m
misalignment t of deflectioon, but wherre this is sevvere, self-aligning bearinngs may be used.
 Page 18 of 50 
 

Double-row bearings are made in a variety

of types and sizes to carry heavier radial
and thrust loads. Sometimes two single-row
bearings are used together for the same
reason, although a double-row bearing will
generally require fewer parts and occupy
less space. The one way ball thrust bearings
are made in many types and sizes. Some of
the large variety of standard roller bearings
is available, straight roller bearings carry a
greater radial load than ball bearings of the
same size because of the greater contact
area. However, they have the disadvantage
of requiring almost perfect geometry of the
raceways and rollers. A slight misalignment
will cause the rollers to skew and get out of
line. For this reason, the retainer must be heavy. Straight roller bearings will not, of
course, take thrust loads. Helical rollers are made by winding rectangular material into
rollers, after which they are hardened and ground. Because of the inherent flexibility,
they will take considerable misalignment. If necessary, the shaft and housing can be used
for raceways instead of separate inner and outer races. This is especially important if
radial space is limited.

Bearing Life

When the ball or roller of rolling-contact bearings rolls, contact stresses occur on the
inner ring, the rolling element, and on the outer ring. Because the curvature of the
contacting features in the axial direction is different from that in the radial direction, the
equations for these stresses are more involved than in the Hertz equations presented in If
a bearing is clean and properly lubricated, is mounted and sealed against the entrance of
dust and dirt, is maintained in this condition, and is operated at reasonable temperatures,
then metal fatigue will be the only cause of failure. Inasmuch as metal fatigue implies
many millions of stress applications successfully endured, we need a quantitative life
measure.

Common life measures are

• Number of revolutions of the inner ring (outer ring stationary) until the first tangible
evidence of fatigue
 Page 19 of 50 
 

Bearing Load Life at Rated Reliability

When nominally identical groups are tested to the life-failure criterion at different loads,
To establish a single point, load F1 and the rating life of group one (L10)1 are the
coordinates that are logarithmically transformed. The reliability associated with this
point, and all other points, is 0.90. Thus we gain a glimpse of the load-life function at
0.90 reliability. Using a regression equation of the form FL1/a = constant
the result of many tests for various kinds of bearings result in
• a = 3 for ball bearings
• a = 10/3 for roller bearings (cylindrical and tapered roller)
A bearing manufacturer may choose a rated cycle value of 106 revolutions (or in
the case of the Timken Company, 90(106) revolutions) or otherwise, as declared in
the manufacturer’s catalog to correspond to a basic load rating in the catalog for each
bearing manufactured, as their rating life. We shall call this the catalog load rating
and display it algebraically as C10, to denote it as the 10th percentile rating life for
a particular bearing in the catalog.

Selection of Tapered Roller Bearings

Tapered roller bearings have a number of features that make them complicated. As we
Address the differences between tapered roller and ball and cylindrical roller bearings,
Note that the underlying fundamentals are the same, but that there are differences in
detail. Moreover, bearing and cup combinations are not necessarily priced in proportion
to capacity. Any catalog displays a mix of high-production, low-production, and
successful special-order designs. Bearing suppliers have computer programs that will
take your problem descriptions, give intermediate design assessment information, and
list a number of satisfactory cup-and-cone combinations in order of decreasing cost.
Company sales offices provide access to comprehensive engineering services to help
designers select and apply their bearings
.
Form
The four components of a tapered roller bearing assembly are the
• Cone (inner ring)
• Cup (outer ring)
• Tapered rollers
• Cage (spacer-retainer)
The assembled bearing consists of two separable parts:
(1) the cone assembly: the cone, the rollers, and the cage; and
(2) the cup. Bearings can be made as single-row, two-row, four-row, and thrust-bearing
assemblies.

Additionally, auxiliary components such as spacers and closures can be used.

A tapered roller bearing can carry both radial and thrust (axial) loads, or any combination
of the two. However, even when an external thrust load is not present, the radial load will
induce a thrust reaction within the bearing because of the taper. To avoid the separation
of the races and the rollers, this thrust must be resisted by an equal and opposite force.
 Page 20 of 50 
 

One way of generating this force is to always use at least two tapered roller bearings on a
shaft. Two bearings can be mounted with the cone backs facing each other, in a
configuration called direct mounting, or with the cone fronts facing each other, in what is
called indirect mounting. shows the nomenclature of a tapered roller bearing, and the
point G through which radial and axial components of load act.

6 TERMINOLOGY FOR SERVICING TOOLS.

The following is the terminology of the commonly used tools for servicing
and maintenance of axle roller bearings: -

TOOLS USES
a) Lead or copper hammer (sledge) For tapping races/rings etc. while
assembling and disassembling
b) Micrometer (inside and out side) For measuring axle box bore and journal
diameter etc.
c) Feeler gauge For measuring diametrical and axial
clearances of the bearings, etc.
d) L – Gauge (as shown in fig-6) For measuring the respective distance of
inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth
ring from journal end.
e) Induction heater or oil bath heater For mounting inner races/rings on axle
with tank, scissor- tongs, asbestos journals.
hand gloves, stirrer, thermometer
etc.
f) Puller tool or induction heater. For extracting inner races/rings from
axle journals.
g) General fitter tools like spanners, --------
pliers etc.
h) Torque wrenches of different For tightening bolts and nuts.
capacity (from 5.0 to 100.0 Mkg.)
i) Scrappers For general cleaning
j) Dial-indicators To check deflection on axle etc.
k) Magnifying glasses To examine spalls, etc. on races/rings.
 Page 21 of 50 
 

l) Deep and shallow washing trays For washing bearing parts etc.
m) Thin hard wooden scoop For removing old grease from bearings
and housings.
n) Wooden blocks For positioning under the housing lug
liner to prevent the bearing housing
from turning while disassembling etc.
o) Brushes (stiff and bristle type) For cleaning purpose, etc.
p) Lint-free towels To wipe bearing and components, etc.
q) Wire mesh basket For placing the bearing components, etc.
r) Ultrasonic machine To check the internal cracks on the axle
journal
s) Metal top table For placing the axle box housing during
assembly.
General Instructions & Precautions
 Work only with clean tools. 
 Proper tools should be used for different operations. 
 Avoid damage, injury or distortion to any part of the bearing while 
working with tools. 
 Do not use any kind of mallet. 
 Do not use gas torch to heat inner races and thrower / labyrinth ring. 
 
 

7 DISASSEMBLY OF ROLLER BEARING AXLE BOXES

For disassembly of axle box bearings after service for inspection, repair and
re-lubrication, the following procedure is recommended:-
 Clean thoroughly axle box cover and outside portions of axle
boxes with wire brush before attempting any work on bearing to
prevent ingress of dirt into the bearing.
 Take off the front covers after removing the bolts / nuts.
 Unfold the locking plate and take off the end clamping screws.
 Remove end clamping plate.
 Remove loose lip from the journal end.
 Page 22 of 50 
 

 Withdraw the axle box assembly from the axle journal leaving the inner
races/rings, inner distance piece/journal distance ring and thrower/labyrinth ring
in position on the axle journals. Use extractor/hand-sling, if necessary.
 Place the axle box assembly in a horizontal position on a suitable table.
 Remove thrower end cover/labyrinth cover in case of separate, thrower end cover
/ labyrinth cover axle box.
 Push out the outer races/rings with bearing assembly and distance pieces/rings
from the axle box housing without applying direct force on the bearings or cages.

General instructions and precautions:

 Ensure that the bearing with its other components, are not damaged during
disassembly.
 Keep some quantity of used grease in a dry container for subsequent
investigation, if necessary.
 Before disassembling the outer races/rings, divide the full circle of the
outer races into four parts of 90º each and number 1, 2, 3 and 4
consecutively; mark the date when any load bearing part is brought into
service, with an electric etching pencil. The load bearing zone should be
changed to improve the fatigue life of outer race whenever the bearing is
disassembled.
 Do not interchange bearing parts. Keep them as matched sets and exercise
care to see that the complete roller bearing set is returned to the outer
race/ring from which it was removed.
Disassembly of inner races/rings, thrower/labyrinth ring etc. from journal :
If it becomes necessary to remove inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring
from the axle journal, the following shall be the procedure: -
Apply the extractor tool for removal of inner races/rings, inner distance
piece/journal distance ring and thrower/labyrinth ring.
 Use three-jaw or two-jaw puller (whichever is required) positioning behind the
removable part, in the manner as shown in fig. 4.
 Apply pressure to the end of the axle by rotating the long bolt.
o Precaution: Do not apply puller tool bolt directly to the lathe centre
tapped holes of the axle end.
 Follow instructions furnished with the heater.
 Heat the inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring by induction heater to a
temperature not exceeding 1200C (250ºF) and not longer than the period specified
in the operating instructions of induction heater.
 Page 23 of 50 
 

 Then use the puller indicated above.

o Precautions:
 Do not use oxy-acetylene torch for the removal of races/rings and
thrower/labyrinth ring.
 Use asbestos gloves while handling hot components.
 Ensure that the journal does not get any heat.

8 CLEANING OF BEARINGS, AXLE BOXES AND COMPONENTS

Bearing and components cleaning:

Whenever bearings are removed from bogie for overhauls, inspection, repairs and
replacement or re-lubrication, the following shall be the cleaning procedure if
manual cleaning is done. :-
 Remove the bulk of grease with a thick hard wood scoop from all bearing parts.
 Place roller bearing parts such as bearing assemblies, distance pieces/rings, loose lip
etc. except axle box and it accessories in a wire mesh basket.
 Suspend the basket suitably in a container of pure, clean oil, preferably kerosene or
MTO.
 Allow bearing and bearing parts to soak, preferably, overnight or until the grease has
been sufficiently softened.
 Agitate the basket slowly through the oil from time to time to remove as much as
possible of dirt, grease, etc.
 Lift the basket and drain the oil. If for any reason, it is necessary to ascertain the
nature of foreign matter removed, strain the oil through a filter paper and collect the
residue.
 Transfer all parts to a second container of clean oil.
 Clean each part individually with a brush, partially submerging in oil.
 Do repeated soaking and cleaning if necessary until all traces of grit is removed.
 Sponge out all parts with a non-fluffy rag or with a wiping towel for inspections.
 Clean finally in petrol or white spirit before re-assembly.
 Page 24 of 50 
 

General instruction and precautions :

 Do not use any alkaline degreasing agents. Water based cleaning methods may
lead to corrosion of the bearings.
 Take care that hairs from brush do not stick in cage pockets. etc.
 After final cleaning, the re-assembly should be done as early as possible, to avoid
any possibility of corrosion, etc.
 If bearing units are not to be re-assembled immediately, shake off the liquid, dry
and provide a protective coating of antirust compound, and wrap the parts in a
water proof paper or polythene sheet and store in a dry room.
 Use only clean and dry compressed air, if desired, for drying bearing parts.
 Do not spin uncleaned bearings.
 Do not use same container for initial cleaning and final rinsing of
bearings.
Cleaning Mediums: Use only water-free cleaning medium, the following are some of
the cleaning mediums generally used :-
 Petrol 
 White spirit (low Flash point) 
 Kerosene 
 MTO (Mineral Turpentine Oil)  
Axle-box and accessories cleaning :
 Scrap accumulation of dirt off outside of the box.
 Wash axle box, covers, screws, nuts, spring washers, etc. after extracting
bearings in a boiling soda solution.
 Rinse thoroughly in clean, hot water.
 Wash inside and outside of box, cover etc. with clean kerosene.
 Ensure that the threaded holes on the box are clean.
 Blow out with compressed air and after drying, coat with light machine oil or
with the same grease as used for lubrication on the housing bore, and all
machined or ground surfaces, after proper inspection and final repair.
 Protect the box and its accessories from dirt and dust until re-assembly.
Precaution: Sand-blast cleaning of roller bearing equipped axle assemblies is prohibited.
 Page 25 of 50 
 

9 CHECKING OF AXLE JOURNALS, AXLE BOXES, ROLLER

BEARINGS AND COMPONENTS

Checking of Axle journal :

 After thorough cleaning, check axle journal for any bending by measuring it
with the help of dial gauge at four places 90º apart. Bent axle may cause
premature bearing failure.
 Ensure that the axle journal diameter is within the permissible limits, laid
down in relevant drawing.
 Taper and opacity of axle journal should be within permissible limit.
 Axle journal should be examined for internal or superficial cracks by
ultrasonic testing machine.
Checking of Axle box housing:
 After thorough cleaning, check the damage, score mark and
cracks on axle box body and covers for their soundness of
material.
 Examine traces of corrosion, if any, on working surfaces of
the axle box body, remove it with fine emery paper.
 Ensure that all the dimensions of the axle box housing and
covers are within the permissible limits, laid down in
relevant drawings.
 Check particularly the bore dia., depth, ovality and taper of
the bore and other internal dimensions of axle box housing.
If they are not within the limits as prescribed in relevant
drawing, the housing should be set aside for rectification /
rejections.
 Inspect axle box lugs, liners, etc.
Checking of roller bearings:
a) Any damage to the rollers and raceway should be brought to notice of the
concerned section engineer.
b) In case, rotation is not free, this may be due to some dirt inside. The
bearing may be washed with white spirit or petrol and re-dipped in rust
preventive oil.
c) Dimensional details are shown in manufacturer's drawings and may be
checked for better fitment.
d) Check and ensure radial internal clearances of the bearings to the value
specified in the table below:
For NEI bearing For FAG bearing
 Page 26 of 50 
 

Radial clearance 0.100 to 0.165 mm. 0.165 to 0.215 mm.

(Under free condition)

Checking of components:
 Thrower/labyrinth ring: If the thrower/labyrinth ring is found damaged or
dismounted for any reason, the same should not be reused.
 Felt/Sealing ring: The felt rings should be changed compulsorily during the
overhauling of the axle box. Felt/Sealing ring must never be reused.
 Clamping plate and Distance pieces/rings: These components should be
examined for dimensional correctness, flatness and cracks before they are
used.
 Locking bolts/studs and nuts: If the nuts and bolts/studs do not fit properly to
each other, they must be replaced.
 Locking plates: The locking plates should be changed compulsorily when the
axle box is dismantled.

6 ASSEMBLY
Outer race/ring assemblies in housing
 Thoroughly clean the inside surface of “axle box housing” and “thrower end
cover/labyrinth cover” with kerosene oil and subsequently, after drying, with
petrol.
 Apply a thin coating of light machine oil or grease over the cleaned dry housing
bore.
 Place the axle box housing over a clean metal.
 Take out the outer race/ring assemblies from their original wrappings and place
squarely. Place one of the outer races (with its stamped face facing outwards)
into the housing and slide it until it buts squarely against the housing mating
surface
 Next slide the outer distance piece/housing distance ring, keeping one of the
grease hole of the outer distance piece/housing distance ring (if greasing is done
through the axle box crown) concentric with the housing crown grease nipple
hole.
 Page 27 of 50 
 

 Slide the second outer race/ring assembly in the same manner as previous one.
 For separate thrower end / labyrinth cover:-
I. Fix the studs for separate thrower end cover/labyrinth cover on the box
rear end.
II. Place thrower end cover/labyrinth cover with rubber sealing ring in
position. Ensure its proper bedding against the outer race/ring. Contact
area should not be less than 60-70 % of total surface. Use feeler gauge for
this purpose.
III. Place the tab-washer in position and tighten the four nuts evenly and lock
them.
1) Follow on with the sliding of the end distance piece/ring
i) j) Keep the axle box in a dry and clean place, after fixing a card-board on the
box openings for protection from dirt and moisture, until it is required for
remounting.
k) Remove card-board just before the mounting on the axle journal.
l) Apply lithium base grease of recommended brand into the axle box fitted
with outer races/rings before mounting.
m) Smear well the annular grooves on the thrower/labyrinth ring end of the
box with specified grease to form an effective grease seal.
To mount thrower/labyrinth ring, inner races/rings and inner distance piece/journal
distance ring on the axle journal, the following shall be the procedure
a) Inspect the axle journal for its correct size, surface finish, permissible
taper and ovality, as per the relevant drawing.
b) Clean thoroughly the axle journals and holes at the axle ends.
c) Check for any bulging of the axle ends, which may occur at the time of
wheel pressing.
d) Clean thoroughly the thrower/labyrinth ring, inner races/rings, and inner
distance piece/journal distance ring with kerosene oil and subsequently
with petrol when dried up.
e) There are two methods for heating thrower/ labyrinth ring and inner
races/rings to shrink fit on axle journal as given bellow:
1. By oil bath heater:
1.1 Immerse inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring in oil
bath heater tank. These should not come in contact with hot
plates.
1.2 Heat the inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring to a
temperature not exceeding 120ºC and not longer than 30
minutes. Ensure strict temperature control so that oil bath
temperature does not exceed the above temperature.
2. By induction heater:
 Page 28 of 50 
 

2.1 Put the thrower/labyrinth ring and inner races/rings on the

induction heater. Follow instructions furnished with the heater.
2.2 Heat the inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring by
induction heater to a temperature not exceeding 120ºC (250F)
and not longer than the period specified in the operating
instructions of induction heater.
2.3 Demagnetise the inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring.
f) Shrink thrower/labyrinth ring on the axle and ensure its positive abutment
with axle shoulder. Check up its correct fitment in relation to the axle
ends by means of suitable ‘L’ gauge.
g) Shrink the lip type inner races/rings, inner distance piece/journal distance
ring and plain inner race/ring one after another on the axle journal

General instructions and precautions:

a) Use only clean light transformer oil as heating medium.
b) Prevent bearing parts making contact with the bottom of the tank by
providing wire-netting tray.
c) Stir the oil during heating.
d) Remove excess oil from bore of the inner races/rings and
thrower/labyrinth ring with clean lint-free cloth before mounting.
e) Do not heat inner distance piece/journal distance ring.
f) Hold firmly all the components (thrower/labyrinth ring, inner races/rings,
etc.) against their relevant abutment surfaces on the axle journal until
cooled down for gripping. For this purpose use of pusher tool as shown in
Fig. 6.4 is recommended.
g) Use asbestos gloves while handling hot component.
h) Ensure that 60-70% of abutting surfaces remain in contact with each other.
Use of feeler gauge is recommended for this purpose.

Mounting the axle box assembly :

To mount the axle box assembly, the following procedure is recommended:-
a) Pack axle box assembly with specified grease Smear grease between the
interstices of the cage and rolling elements by hand, rotating the bearing to
assist penetration.
b) To increase the efficiency of seal, fill the concentric grooves in the
shoulder of the box with grease.
c) Lift the box assembly in an upright position in level with the axle journal
to bring bearing box horizontal axis in alignment with journal axis.
 Page 29 of 50 
 

d) Keep box end in relations to axle

:Sl. Screws Torque Values
No. (in Mkg.)
1. M10 5.00
2. M16 22.00
3. M20 42.50
4. M 22 58.00
5. M26 98.00
6. 1 1/8" 7UNC 96.00
7. 7/8" BSW 53.25
8. 3/4" 10UNC 32.50
 
General Instruction and Precaution :
a) Smear the threads of bolts, screws, etc. with oil.
b) Do not resort to hammering action on axle box assembly while sliding the
axle box assembly on axle journal.
c) Check for indications of slipping or rotations of thrower/labyrinth ring and
inner races/rings before mounting the axle box.

11 LUBRICATION
Whenever lubricated surfaces slide together at low sliding speeds or with a high
appliednormal load, the lubricant may not separate the two solid surfaces completely.
However, the lubricant can still signiÞcantly reduce the friction coefÞcient by reducing
the shear strength of adhesive junctions between the two surfaces. In this so-called
boundary lubrication regime, the effectiveness of the lubricant can be improved if the
lubricant molecules adhere well to the solid surfaces. This is best accomplished by
introducing a lubricant or additive that forms a surface Þlm through adsorption,
chemisorption, or chemical reaction with the surface. The ensuing reduced shear strength
of the surface Þlm can lower the friction coefÞcient by as much as an order of magnitude
from the dry friction value. When a good supply of a viscous lubricant is available, the
separation between the surfaces will increase as the sliding speed increases or the normal
load decreases. As the separation increases, the amount of solid/solid contact between the
surfaces will decrease, as will the friction coefÞcient and wear rate. In this Òmixed
frictionÓ regime, friction is determined by the amount of plowing deformation on
the softer surface by the harder surface asperities and by adhesion within the solid/solid
contacts. When the surfaces become completely separated by a self-acting or externally
pressurized lubricant Þlm, the lubricating regime is hydrodynamic, wear is reduced to
 Page 30 of 50 
 

nearly zero, and friction reaches a low value governed by viscous shear of the lubricant.
Friction coefÞcients in such cases can be 0.001 or lower, depending on the surface
velocities and the lubricant viscosity. This is the case for most journal or thrust
bearings (see subsection on ßuid Þlm bearings). Bearings for Friction Reduction Most
mechanical systems contain moving components, such as shafts, which must be
supported and held in position by stationary members. This is best done by appropriate
design or selection of bearings to be used wherever the moving member is to be
supported. Most bearings may be classiÞed as either bearings, dry or semilubricated
bearings, or rolling element bearings. Fluid Þlm bearings (see subsection below) have a
conformal geometry, with a thin Þlm of ßuid separating the two surfaces. The ßuid
lubricant could be a liquid, such as oil, or a gas, such as air. Fluid Þlm bearings are
commonly used to support rotating cylindrical shafts, and the load on such a bearing
could be either radial, in which case the bearing is called a journal bearing, or axial, for a
thrust bearing.
In most cases the ßuid Þlm is generated by the motion within the bearing itself, so the
bearing is called self-acting or hydrodynamic. Whether or not a self-acting bearing can
develop a ßuid Þlm sufÞcient to separate and support the two surfaces is determined by
magnitude of the quantity mU/W, where m is the (absolute) ßuid viscosity, U is the
relative sliding velocity, and W is the normal load. If that quantity is too small, the ßuid
Þlm will be too thin and high friction will occur. This can be a problem during startup of
equipment when sliding velocities are low. That problem can be overcome by
pressurizing the ßuid Þlm from an external pressure source to create a hydrostatic
bearing. Whether the ßuid Þlm is externally pressurized (hydrostatic) or self-acting
(hydrodynamic), separation of the solid surfaces allows wear to be essentially eliminated
and friction to be very low, even when very large loads are carried by the pressurized
lubricant. Dry and semilubricated bearings (see subsection below) have conformal
surfaces which are in direct contact with each other. This category includes bearings
which run dry (without liquid lubrication) or those which have been impregnated with a
lubricant. Dry bearings are made of a material such as a polymer or carbon-graphite
which has a low friction coefÞcient, and they are generally used in low-load and low-
speed applications. Semilubricated bearings are made of a porous material, usually metal,
and are impregnated with a lubricant which resides within the pores. The lubricant, which
could be oil or grease, cannot provide a complete ßuid Þlm, but usually acts as a
boundary lubricant. Semilubricated bearings can carry greater loads at greater speeds than
dry bearings, but not as high as either ßuid Þlm or rolling element bearings. The failure
mechanism for both dry and semilubricated bearings is wear.

General instructions and precautions :

 Use only the approved and recommended lithium base greases listed under.
 Use calibrated pressure grease gun.
 Avoid excess lubrication. Excess lubrication will invariably result in increased
running temperatures, reducing the effectiveness of the lubricants.
 Page 31 of 50 
 

 Do not heat the grease to facilitate application. Heating separates the oil from the
soap in the grease and grease loses the desirable properties.
 Keep lubricants in clean and covered container free from dirt and water.
 Used lubricant should never be re-used even though it may appear to be in good
condition.
Approved and recommended lubricants :
 Servogem RR3 of Indian Oil Corporation
 Multi-grease LL3 of Balmer Lawrie
 Note: Grease Servogem RR3 of Indian Oil Corporation and Multi-grease LL3 of
Balmer Lawrie are compatible to each other.
o Quantity of lubricants recommended per axle box:
 For topping up: About 0.027 to 0.045 kg. of specified grease is recommended for
topping up after 6 months interval or covering 80,000 kms., whichever is earlier.
 For re- /initial lubrication :
 About 2.71. kg. of specified grease is recommended for axle box to NEI drg. no.
92-4271C and X-115 applicable for WDM2, WDS5, WDS6, WDS8, WCG2,
WAG5A, WAM4, WAM4A, WAM4B and WCAM1 locos.
 About 2.3. kg. of specified grease is recommended for axle box to M/s FAG drg.
no. 901-02-101 applicable for WDM2, WDS5, WDS6, WCG2, WAG5A, WAM4,
WAM4A and WCAM1 locos.
 About 1.75 kg. of specified grease is recommended for axle box to NEI drg. no.
92-4253 applicable for YDM4 and YDM4A locos. .

12 PERIODIC ATTENTION AND SERVICE INSPECTIONS

Trip inspection  
  Recommendations   Remarks 

a)  Visually examine the axle box                        ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 

for any damages from any
striking objects or for any
unusual condition.
b)  Check  for  missing  or  proper                        ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 
locking  of  cover  studs/bolts  and 
other parts. 

c)  Investigate lubrication leakage at    Correct immediately even a slight

leakage of grease observed at the
 Page 32 of 50 
 

housing joints, etc. front end of the box. However, a

slight leakage of lubricant, if
noticed at the rear end, it should
be considered as normal.
d)  Observe for any signs of over‐   Do not allow running temperature
heating on the outside portions of  more than 25º C (77º F) above
the box.   ambient.

e)  Look for loose, cracked or missing    Repair or replace missing liners.

axle‐box and pedestal liner. 

f)  Attend booked repairs, if any.    --------

Half - yearly inspection (M-12) (12 months in case of electric locomotives to coincide
with AOH Schedule):
a) Repeat items of trip inspection. --------
b) For checking of longitudinal and Record figures in respective
lateral clearances wear limits of schedule forms.
axle box and pedestal liners, see
bogie maintenance manual no.
MP.MI. – 71/78 (latest revision)
c)  Remove  end  cover  of  the  axle    If  grease  is  found 
boxes  and  examine  visually  the  discolored/disintegrated,  then 
condition  of  the  grease  and  disassemble  the  axle  box  and 
locking arrangement of bearings.  clean  the  bearing  thoroughly 
according  to  instructions  laid 
down  in  previous  chapter. 
Examine  the  bearings  with  their 
elements  minutely.  Re‐assembly, 
checking,  re‐lubrication  should 
be  done  according  to  the 
instructions  laid  down  in  this 
manual. 

d)  Top  up  as  required  with    Use the same grease used in the 

specified grease to each axle box  box. Inject 27 to 45 grams. (30 to 
with  pressure  gun,  if  the  50  cc)  of  recommended  grease 
condition  of  grease  and  bearing  into  the  box  through  grease 
parts are satisfactory.  nipple  without  disturbing  the 
bearing assembly. 
 Page 33 of 50 
 

e)  Ultrasonic examination may be coincided with axle box greasing in M‐12 
schedule  for  convenience  of  the  shed.  The  mandatory  periodicity 
however remains 12 months only. 

Yearly inspection (M-24) (24 months in case of electric locomotives to coincide with
second AOH Schedule):
Where axle boxes are removed for wheel turnings or wheel changes, they
have to be invariably overhauled.
The overhaul of axle-boxes can be done at the time of bogie/traction motor
overhaul etc. Normally overhaul of axle boxes is not required earlier than three
years. But at this stage it is recommended to overhaul the axle boxes every yearly
schedule (24 months).
a) Remove the axle box assembly from the bogie.
b) Dismantle axle box assembly as indicated in chapter-3.
c) Examine grease. If found discoloured, blackened or rust coloured, it may
be taken as evidence of wear or pitting rust. In such a case, the bearing
should be examined carefully. If it does not show any discolouration, then
clean thoroughly all bearing parts and axle box (complete) as indicated in
chapter 4.
d) Look for evidence of possible defects or other imperfections, which might
make the bearing unsafe for service. Examine all bearing parts for any of
the following defects and scrap if such defects are discovered (use
magnifying glasses where necessary).
i) Severe smearing caused by abuse, etc.
ii) Corrosive pitting caused by moisture or other corrosive agents.
iii) Brinelling caused by vibrations, which result in depression or
grooves.
i) Breaks or cracks.
ii) Check for any indication of slipping or rotation of
thrower/labyrinth ring.
iii) Pitting caused by electric currents.
e) Examine outer-races/rings as follows:-
  Inspections Remarks

i)  Look for evidence of rotation in Remove the cause. It may be

the housing bore on the outer either due to excessive
surfaces of the ring. interference of the inner
race/ring over the journal or
defective bearing. Replace the
bearing if rotation is severe.
ii)  Examine roller paths (as far  This will minimise the danger of 
 Page 34 of 50 
 

possible) carefully for any  premature fatigue and / or 
surface spalling or cracks or any  spalling of the race load zone. 
other irregularities which will 
warrant removal from service. 

iii)  Rotate the outer race/ring a  This will minimise the danger of 

quarter turn to bring into  premature fatigue and / or 
operation un‐used part, mark  spalling of the race load zone. 
the part quadrant number, date 
on which the said quadrant is 
brought into service by electric 
etching pencil on the side 
surface of the outer race/ring. 

f)  Examine inner races/rings as follows: 

i)  Look for evidence of rubbing or  The cause may be inadequate 

turning on the journal.  interference. If suspected, 
replace the bearing with under 
size bore bearing. 

ii)  Inspect roller path (load zone  There may be inadequate 

track) for spalling or any other  diametrical clearance. If 
defects.  suspected, replace the bearing 

iii)  Look for the surface  In case of any doubt, inner 

imperfection.  race/ring may be subjected to 
dye‐penetration test. If found 
faulty, replace it. 

g) Axle-box inspection and repairs :

Remove excessively worn out manganese steel liners or which have
cracked and replace them with new liners as outlined below :-
i) Grind free at least two sides of the old liner welds, make free with
a steel chisel remaining welds.
ii) Grind off remaining weld deposits, if any.
iii) Apply new liners, make sure they fit flat.
iv) Hold liners tight against box with clamps.
v) Keep the box submerged in water except the area where welds are
to be done.
vi) Do all welding in down-hand position.
 Page 35 of 50 
 

vii) Use approved low-Hydrogen welding electrode.

viii) Follow the procedure for welding of manganese steel liners as laid
down in RDSO MP.MI.NO. 97/81.
ix) No welding of liners should be done with bearing in position.
x) Check the bore of the axle box housing and ensure that it is within
the permissible limits. If not, reject the axle box.
h) Manganese steel liners:
For method of repair and precaution regarding Manganese steel
liners, see RDSO MP.MI.-97/81.
For re-assembly of axle box for further service, follow procedure
indicated in Chapter 6.
i) Precautions:
i) Use of oxy-acetylene torch for removal of old liner plates from
axle box is not recommended to avoid possibility of distortion.
ii) In the welding of manganese steel liners care must be taken in
order to prevent cracking, that is obtained from unfavorable weld
metal dilution as well as heat build up.
iii) Factors within the control of the welder to reduce base metal heat
build up are holding a short arc, short welding periods, lowest
possible current and the use of the smallest diameter electrode
consistent with the thickness of the section to be welded.
iv) The best ductility is retained in welding of the material
(manganese), by keeping the work as cool as possible.
v) Where there are number of boxes to be welded on, these shall be
arranged in a row so that the same location can be welded on each
box progressively. Then return to the first box and repeat in a
different location on each box. In this way the boxes get maximum
cooling time between welds.
vi) At no time shall the arc to be struck on the face of manganese
liners. Arc-strikes on liners are potential crack starters and are
known to cause base metal failure when highly stressed.
vii) No welding shall be done on liners to box until the preceding weld
area is cooled to the touch of the hand.
viii) All welds shall be visually inspected.
Six-yearly inspection or POH :
(a) Repeat items of yearly inspection.
(b) Remove inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring, (as per instructions
given in this manual) for visual inspection of their inner surfaces and for
inspection of the axle journal surface, only if any cause for suspicion as to
the proper fitment or functioning of the parts or defect is noticed. Proper
fitment may be ascertained by individual’s experience on hearing the
 Page 36 of 50 
 

metallic sound of the mating surfaces between inner races/rings,

thrower/labyrinth ring and axle journal.
It may be added that unnecessary withdrawal of bearing elements
from their seatings causes deterioration of fitting surfaces and may
damage the bearing races/rings too. Special care must be taken to ensure
that the bearings and its components i.e. cage, rollers and races/rings are
not damaged during dismantling operation.
(c) If inner races/rings and thrower/labyrinth ring are withdrawn from the
journal, inspect them for fretting corrosion between inner race/ring and
axle journal. Fretting reduces the solid contact between the inner race/ring
and journal, causing the race/ring to loosen.
(d) Clean and examine the bearing seating on the axle, paying special
attention to the shoulder for the thrower/labyrinth ring on the axle and all
fillets. Ensure these dimensions are within the limits laid down. Scrap
axles with any defect indications on the journal or journal fillets.
(e) Renew all sealing rings.
(f) Check the rollers for any fretting or corrosion by rotating each roller.
(g) Re-assemble axle box for further service if everything is in good
condition, as indicated in Chapter-6.
(h) Mount only inner and outer races/rings with roller assemblies and insert
feeler gauge between the rolling elements and inner race/ring while lifting
the outer race/ring to take its weight off the feeler gauge and see that the
diametrical clearance between roller and races/rings(in free state) within
the limits given in clause 5.3.d of chapter 5.
General instructions and precautions:
a) Keep a complete inspection record at the shed at all times using journal
box and axle serial number and box location on locos, as reference.
b) While replacing new bearing or any new bearing parts from the original
packing, do not clean. Clean only when original packing are damaged or
have become dirty.
c) Also do not remove any bearing parts from original packing until
immediately before mounting.
d) When applying a used inner race/ring on a used axle journal, prefer to use
an inner race/ring with little or no signs of fretting.
e) If journal is found under size, use under size bore inner race/ring.
f) If races/rings are not immediately applied on journals that have passed
inspection, protect at all times against possible damage from water, dirt or
other substances. This is applicable in the case of journal also.
g) If wheel and axle assemblies are not immediately applied to bogie, turn
each axle box a few time every few days to prevent the parts from
remaining in the same position for any appreciable length of time to
 Page 37 of 50 
 

prevent corrosion on contacting surfaces due to galvanic action and

condensation due to atmospheric temperature changes.
 Page 38 of 50 
 

13 RUNNING INSTRUCTIONS AND INSPECTION OF

BEARINGS OF LOCOS INVOLVED IN FIRE, FLOODS AND
ACCIDENTS
Running instructions:
When cleaning locomotives with the aid of steam, care should be taken to
avoid spraying the axle boxes, which should be protected with covers of canvas or
similar material.
In the event of any trouble developing in the axle box roller bearing when
in service, in between terminals as indicated by noise, excessive heat at box or
any abnormal condition, follow the procedure indicated bellow:
a) Stop the loco, examine the axle box carefully.
b) Move the loco, slowly under close observation to the next stopping, or to
the point where the loco can be conveniently set off for attentions, if the
examination does not disclose any condition which makes it unsafe to run.
c) Stop the loco and intimate authorities concerned, if during this movement,
excessive noise is present indicating any possible broken parts in the
bearing or the wheels begin to slide, or the box does not cool down.
d) Consider as abnormal any running temperature 25ºC (77ºF) above ambient
for operation.
e) Book any repairs or any abnormal condition observed in the run in the
"Drivers booked repair card" giving the following particulars to receive
closer attention at the next inspection points:
i) Date of failure.
ii) Details of operating sections, kilometerage where bearing has
failed or was found defective.
iii) Train number and loco number.
iv) Capacity and type of service.
v) Loaded or empty.
vi) Location of defective bearing on the loco.
vii) Whether journal was hot.
viii) Axle box serial number, if available.
ix) Description of defects.
Locos involved in an accident:
When locos with axle roller bearings are involved in a derailment or suspected or
damaged from any such causes, the following procedure is recommended:
a) Dis-assemble and inspect the bearings for any damages or other defects
before putting the loco back in to service.
 Page 39 of 50 
 

b) Check axle for bending by measuring inside distance on wheel flanges at

four places 90º apart. A bent axle may cause premature bearing failure due
to oscillation movement and uneven load distribution in the bearing, scrap
all bend axles.
c) Inspect side frames also to see that they are not bent or distorted. Side
frames, which are also bent or distorted, will cause undesirable loads on
the bearing assembly, which can cause premature bearing failures.
d) Check spring sets for any evidence of cracks or breakage. If any
crack/breakage found, replace the seat. Do not repair by welding or by any
other method.
e) If it is found necessary to do electric welding any where on locos with axle
roller bearings, the grounding cable must be clamped to near the part being
welded to prevent any return current passing through the bearings.
Locos operating in floods:
Do not operate locos equipped with axle roller bearings through water
except in emergency, when properly authorised to do. However, inspect for any
accumulations of water in the journal, if suspected, mark the axle box for
repacking of grease.
Locos involved in fire - hazards:
a) Do not operate locos, which have been in fire. The heat might have
possibly done some injury to the bearing.
b) Disassemble, clean, inspect and re-lubricate the bearings. Fire shows
appreciate discoloration of the surface of the parts, which would help to
judge the suitability of the bearing for further service.

14 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
CLEANLINESS, STORAGE AND HANDLING OF BEARING
REGARDING

Cleanliness:
a) In all roller bearing work, the first and primary consideration is
cleanliness. Therefore, the instructions listed here under should always be
scrupulously observed.
b) Set apart a clean and dry area inside the shop for all roller bearing work.
Protect the area by partition from wind blow, dirt, grit and moisture from
adjacent areas, and allowing at the same time ample light at the workshop.
c) Work only with clean tools.
d) Use clean wiping towels. Do not use waste or rags which will adhere to
the metal surfaces.
e) Keep your hands clean while handling bearings.
f) Work on clean benches covered with clean papers.
 Page 40 of 50 
 

g) Avoid contact of cleaning solvents, grease etc. with the skin as far as
possible, as a possible precaution against skin trouble, such as dermatitis.
Storage and Handling:
Extreme care must be exercised when storing and handling bearings and
spare parts. The following is a list of suggestion, in general, which could be
followed:
a) Store all bearings or bearing spares in dry and sheltered places. Dampness
may ruin them in a short time.
b) Bearing should not preferably be stored in assembled condition.
c) Except bronze cage, all bearing parts and all machined surfaces of axle
box and its parts should be kept greased to prevent rusting while in
storage.
d) Do not remove bearing parts from original packing until immediately
before assembly.
e) Inspect occasionally parts in storage.
f) Exercise care to prevent "finger-rust", on finished surfaces of bearings and
parts, while handling, due to moisture on the fingers.
g) Do not allow bearings to lie around uncovered on bare floors where there
are accumulations of water, dust or dirt.
h) Storage tracks for wheel mounted with roller bearing must be so arranged
that the wheel flanges of one pair of wheels can not strike the adjacent
roller bearing box to avoid any damage.

15 REPLACEMENT
INTERCHANGEABILITY OF AXLE BOXES
OF BEARINGS PARTS AND

Replacement of bearing parts (individually) :

a) The inner races/rings, outer race/ring assemblies (with cages and
roller),thrower/labyrinth ring and distance pieces etc. are inter-changeable
within the same make.
b) If the journal is found under size, use the step size inner races/rings as
shown in manufacturer’s drawing.
Interchangeability of axle boxes:
Regarding interchangeability of NEI Roller bearing axle box to drg. no. 92-4271C
with FAG roller bearing axle box to drg. no. 901-02-101, following guide-line
should be followed:-
a) FAG and NEI axle box assemblies are interchangeable in totality, not in
component level.
 Page 41 of 50 
 

b) No attempt should be made by the railways to intermix the components of

one make with the others, as these components are not mutually
interchangeable.
 Page 42 of 50 
 

16  TERMINOLOGY OF BEARING DEFECTS 

Following is the list of bearing damages or defects and corrective actions:‐ 
Sl.  Defect and condition Causes Corrective action
No. 

1.  Rust  and  corrosion:  Improper storage   Take  measures  to  prevent 

Surface  becomes   Improper packaging  rusting  while  in  storage  to 
partially  or  fully   Insufficient rust preventative  eliminate the causes. 
rusted.  Sometimes   Invasion of moisture, acid etc. 
rusted  at  spacing   Handling with bare hands 
 Bearing  is  stationary  for  long 
equal  to  distances 
period 
between           rolling 
elements. 

2.  Fretting:  Fretting   Insufficient interference   Improve fit 

surfaces  wear   Insufficient lubrication   Check surface roughness of 
producing  red   Fluctuating load  journal and housing 
coloured  particles   Vibration  during  transport  or   Check  consistency  of 
when not operating conditions  grease 
that form hollows 
 Do  not  use  worn  out  or 
damaged housings 
3.  Flaking:  Flakes  form   Excessive  loads,  fatigue  life,   Find  the  cause  of  heavy 
on  the  surfaces  of  improper handling  load 
the  raceway  and   Improper mounting   Check  internal  clearance 
roller  elements.   Insufficient precision of journal  regularly 
and housing   Improve  precision  of 
When  the  flakes  fall 
 Insufficient clearance  journal and housing 
off,  the  surface 
 Contamination   Improve  operating 
becomes  rough  and   Rusting  conditions 
uneven.   Passing  of  electric  current   Improve  method  of 
through bearing  assembly and handling 
 Softening  due  to  abnormal   Check  grease  and  greasing 
temperature rise  method 
4.  Seizure:  Bearing   Insufficient clearance   Check  grease  type  and 
heats  up,  becomes   Insufficient grease  quantity 
discolored  and   Bad quality of grease   Check  internal  clearance 
 Excessive load  regularly 
 Rollers skewing   Improve  method  of 
 Page 43 of 50 
 

eventually seizes up.   Softening  due  to  abnormal  assembly and handling 

temperature rise 
5.  Cracking:  splits  and   Rapid heating during mounting  Avoid  rapid  heating  of 
cracks  in  bearing   Excessive shock load  bearing during mounting 
rings and rollers.   Improper handling, use of steel   Reconsider  operating 
hammer  and  impact  of  large  condition  
foreign particles   Improve  method  of 
 Surface  deformation  due  to  assembly and handling 
improper lubrication   Prevention of creep 
 Excessive interference   Do  not  use  excessively 
 Large flaking  worn‐out  or  deformed 
 Overheating by creeping  housing 
6.  Rolling  path   Deformation  or  tilt  of  bearing   Re‐check  internal 
skewing:  Roller  due to insufficient precision of  clearance 
contact  path  in  journal or housing   Re‐check  precision  of 
raceway  surface   Improper mounting  journal and housing 
 Insufficient  rigidity  of  journal   Investigate  rigidity  of 
strays of skews. 
and housing  system 
7.  Smearing  and   Improper lubrication   Check  the  quality/quantity 
scuffing:  Surface   Invasion of foreign matter  of grease 
becomes  rough  with   Roller  skew  due  to  excessive   Improve  sealing 
small deposits.  misalignment  performance 
 Excessive surface roughness   Check operating conditions
 Excessive  sliding  of  rolling   Improve  method  of 
elements  assembly and handling 
8.  Indentations:   Ingress of solid foreign objects   Improve  sealing 
Hollows  in  raceway   Trapping of flaked particles  performance 
surface  produced  by   Impacts  due  to  careless   Improvement  in  handling 
solid  foreign  objects  handling  and mounting practices 
 Due to impacts loads   Check  involved  bearing  for 
trapped  or  impacts 
flaking  if  dents  produced 
(false brinelling)  by metal practices 
 Always use clean grease 
9.  Electrolytic   Electric  current  flowing   Create a bypass for electric 
corrosion:  Pits  form  through raceway  current 
on  raceway  and   Insulate the bearing 
develop  into  ripples. 
Further  development 
leads  to  corrugated 
surface. 
 Page 44 of 50 
 

10.  Speckles  and   Foreign matter   Use  recommended  good 

Discoloration:   Improper lubrication  quality of grease 
Surface  luster   Temper color by overheating   Replacement  of  grease 
disappears,  and   Deposition  of  deteriorated  after  recommended 
grease of surface  interval 
surface  becomes 
 Improper sealing 
matted  and  rough. 
Surface  colour  had 
changed.  Surface 
becomes  covered 
with tiny dents. 

11.  Peeling:  Peeling  is  a   Ingress of foreign matter   Control  of  surface 

cluster  of  very  small   Improper lubrication  roughness and dust 
spalls.  Peeling  can   Foreign matter   Improve  sealing 
also  include  very  performance 
 Use  only  recommended 
small  cracks  which 
grease 
develop into spalls. 

12.  Cage  damage:  Excessive moment load   Investigate  rigidity  of 

Breaking  or  wear  of   High‐speed  rotation  or  system 
cage.  excessive fluctuation of speed   Reconsider  operating 
 Trapping of foreign objects  conditions 
 Excessive vibration   Improve  method  of 
 Improper mounting  assembly and handling 
13.  Spalling:  Score   Poor  mounting  and  removing   Improvement  in  mounting 
accompanying  practices  and removing procedures 
seizing.  Mounting   Oil film discontinuation on the   Improvement  in  operation 
score  in  axial  contact  surfaces  due  to  conditions 
excessive radial load   Corrections of pre‐ load 
direction.  Scores  on 
 Foreign  object  trapping,  or   Selection  of  adequate 
roller  and  face  and  excessive pre‐load  lubricant  and  lubrication 
guide  rib‐cyloidal   Slippage  or  poor  lubrication  system  improvement  of 
scores.  Scratches  in  rolling elements  sealing efficiency 
spinning  direction  on 
raceway  surface  and 
rolling  contact 
surfaces. 

14.  Wear:  The  surface   Foreign matter in the lubricant   Reconsider  lubricant  and 

becomes  worn,   Insufficient lubrication  lubrication method 
resulting  in   Roller skew   Improve  sealing 
 Page 45 of 50 
 

dimension  changes.  performance 

Wear  is  often   Prevent misalignment 
accompanied  by 
roughness  and 
damage. 

15.  Chipping:  Partial   Trapping  of  large  solid  foreign   Trouble  shooting  and 
chipping  of  inner  objects  improvements  of  impacts 
ring,  outer  ring,  or   Impacts or excessive load  and excessive load 
rolling elements.   Poor handling    Improvement in handling 
 Extreme interference   Improvement  in  sealing 
 Material defective  characteristics 
16.  Creep:  Surface   Insufficient  interference  of   Reconsider interference 
becomes  mirror  fitting parts   Reconsider  operating 
finished  due  to   Insufficient sleeve tightening   conditions 
slipping  of  the  inner   Abnormal temperature rise   Recommended  machining 
 Excessive load  precision  or  shaft  and 
and  outer  surfaces. 
housing 
Sometimes 
accompanied  by 
discoloration  or 
scuffing. 

 
 Page 46 of 50 
 

17 BEARING USED IN INDIAN RAILWAYS

(A) CYLINDRICAL ROLLER UNIT (CRU) FOR WDG3A, WDM3A &

WDM3D LOCOMOTIVES
Introduction:

The existing design of cylindrical roller bearings being fitted in high speed diesel and
electric locomotives are maintenance intensive requiring:
 Frequent periodic attention of maintenance staff
 Re-greasing every 6 months
Besides, since the current design does not have the rotating untouched volume sealed off,
the whole bearing volume has to be greased at the aforesaid frequency requiring at least
500 gm of grease to be pumped in each axle box during re-greasing as observed in the
maintenance sheds. The new design of sealed CRU roller bearings has the rolling volume
sealed off through special metallic seals at both the bearing ends with very less radial gap
between these seals and loose lip / lipped inner race mounted on the rotating axle. This
feature along with a single outer race for two rows of rolling elements per axle box
segregates the rotating volume into a completely sealed envelope. Thus, the excess loss
of grease is prevented in service requiring a lesser re-greasing quantity (as discussed in
the later part of this IB) compared to the conventional ones. Besides, this design feature
also helps achieve lesser initial filling quantity of grease in CRUs as compared to the
existing conventional bearings.
Also, unlike the conventional cylindrical roller bearings, the internal design of CRUs
have lipped inboard inner race. This greatly reduces the possibility of thrower damage
while negotiating the sharp curves.
The above merits of CRU bearings shall require lesser human interference in terms of
enhancement of period between maintenance schedules and better performance reliability
in the field. Thus, the locomotive down time on account of axle box bearing failures can
be reduced.

Technical Details:

1. The CRU bearing is basically a double row cylindrical roller bearing and consisting
of one Outer Ring, one Lipped Inner Ring, one Plain Inner Ring, 34 approx( nos).
(17 Approx.( nos). x 2 Rows) Rollers, two Cages, one loose lip, two seals and 740
grms grease.
2. The CRU Bearing is a completely sealed unit and supplied to Indian Railways in
pre-lubricated and ready to mount condition.
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3. Both inner rings and loose lip are held together in the sealed unit by a packing tube.
Seals are fitted on both ends to keep the grease inside of this bearing and to prevent
ingress of any dust, dirt and contaminants etc. into the bearing.
4. Bearing can withstand a static axle load of 21 tonnes (approximate unsprung axle
weight of 1.0 ton) at a maximum speed of 150 Km/hr. It is calculated to reach or
exceed under those given conditions the desired L10 life of more then 8.0 million
kilometers.
5. CRU bearing are supplied with C4 (0.165 to 0.215 mm) of radial clearances. Loose
lip of CRU bearings for end axle and middle axle are designed differently.

(B) CARTRIDGE TAPER ROLLER BARING (CTRB) 6 ½” X 12”

CLASS ‘F’ BEARING FOR WDG4 & WDP4 LOCOMOTIVES

Introduction:

GM EMD locomotives fitted with CTRB 6 ½” X 12” Class ‘F’ bearing on the axle
journal. This bearing is a self-contained, pre-assembled, pre-adjusted, pre-lubricated
completely sealed unit and is applied to or removed from the axle without exposing the
bearing elements, seals or lubricants to contamination or damage.

Technical Details:

1. The CTRB consisting of one double cup, two cone assemblies, one spacer, two
seal wear rings, two grease seals and 680 gms grease.
2. A spaces with precision ground width is held between the two cone assemblies to
achieve the proper axial clearance in an assembled bearing.
3. The CTRB is a completely sealed unit and supplied to Indian Railways in self-
contained, pre-assembled, pre-adjusted, pre-lubricated and ready to mount
condition.
4. Mounting and dismounting of CTRB to be done by the bearing Puller / Installer
on the axle journal with the defined pressing pressure.
5. No need of grease topping up in the bearing in between the schedule maintenance
of locomotives.
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18 Bearing life Calculation

BEARING LIFE CALCULATION OF M/s BRECO's CTRB 6 1/2" X 12" CLASS 'F' BEARING
FOR 5000 H.P. LOCOMOTIVE

Axle load of locomotives W 22.50 tones 220.73 Newton

Unsprung mass of wheel set Wo 1.60 tones 15.70 Newton
Dynamic augment factor for CTRB brg. A 1.15
Radial load on one bearing (W-Wo)/2 10.45 tones 102.51 Newton
Equivalent radial load on one bearing Fr = A*(W-W1)/2 12.02 tones 117.89 Newton
Equivalent thrust load on one bearing Fa = 0.20*Fr 2.40 tones 23.58 Newton

Fa/Fr 0.20
e = 1.5 tan a 0.26 0.26
Fa/Fr < e
X=1 1.00
Y = 0.45 cot a 2.55 2.55
Equivalent combine load on bearing Pr = XFr + YFa 178.02 Newton

New wheel dia d1 1092.00 mm

Condeneming wheel dia d2 1016.00 mm
Mean wheel dia D = (d1+d2)/2 1054.00 mm
Distance traveled in one revolution pai * D 3311.24 mm 0.00 Km.

Dynamic load rating of bearing Cr 1053.02 Newton 273.00 KN

L10a =
L10 life without any wheel flange contact (Cr/Fr)**10/3 1478.57 M Rev. 4.90 M Km

L10b =
L10 life with wheel flange contact (Cr/Pr)**10/3 374.33 M Rev. 1.24 M Km

It is assumed that 20% of the time the wheel makes flange contact and 80% of the time
when there is no flange contact.

Hence weighted average of L10 life 1/[.8/L10a+.2/L10b] 3.08 M Km

As per RDSO's specification no. MP.0.3600.01 required life is 2.56 M Km

Speed of locomotives V 110.00 Kmph

Maximum R.P.M. of bearing for required S 553.67 R.P.M.
Speed of locomotives
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R.P.M. of bearing given by the manufacturer 1000.00 R.P.M.

Axle journal diameter d mm

Bore dia of bearing 130 / 131.76 mm mm
BEARING LIFE CALCULATION OF M/s SKF's TBU 6 1/2" X 12" CLASS 'F' BEARING
FOR WDP4 LOCOMOTIVE

Axle load of locomotives W 19.500 tones 191.295 Newton

Unsprung mass of wheel set Wo 1.600 tones 15.696 Newton
Dynamic augment factor for CTRB brg. A 1.150
Radial load on one bearing (W-Wo)/2 8.950 tones 87.800 Newton
Equivalent radial load on one bearing Fr = A*(W-W1)/2 10.293 tones 100.969 Newton
Equivalent thrust load on one bearing Fa = 0.20*Fr 2.059 tones 20.194 Newton

Fa/Fr 0.200
e = 1.5 tan a 0.260 0.264
Fa/Fr < e
X=1 1.000
Y = 0.45 cot a 2.550 2.552
Equivalent combine load on bearing Pr = XFr + YFa 152.464 Newton

New wheel dia d1 1092.000 mm

Condeneming wheel dia d2 1016.000 mm
Mean wheel dia D = (d1+d2)/2 1054.000 mm
Distance traveled in one revolution pai * D 3311.239 mm 0.003 Km.

Dynamic load rating of bearing Cr 1047.000 Newton 1.047 K N

L10 life without any wheel flange contact L10a = (Cr/Fr)**10/3 2431.398 M Rev. 8.051 M Km

L10 life with wheel flange contact L10b = (Cr/Pr)**10/3 615.554 M Rev. 2.038 M Km

It is assumed that 20% of the time the wheel makes flange contact and 80% of the time
when there is no flange contact.

Hence weighted average of L10 life 1/[.8/L10a+.2/L10b] 5.064 M Km

As per RDSO's specification no. MP.0.3600.01 required life is 4.500 M Km

Speed of locomotives V 180.000 Kmph

Maximum R.P.M. of bearing for required S 906.005 R.P.M.
Speed of locomotives

R.P.M. of bearing given by the manufacturer 1000.000 R.P.M.

Axle journal diameter D 157.264/ mm

157.239
Bore dia of bearing d 157.175 mm
(-0.025)
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THANKS