Study of the prospect of k-Li lubricant for axle boxes of the railway rolling stock

Abstract

The use of various types of plastic lubricants (such as LZ-TsNII, ZhRO, etc.) in the axle boxes of locomotives, cars and track machines in the Ukrainian railway network causes technological inconveniences at the stage of procurement, supply and regulation of this process, moreover, their operational capabilities do not quite satisfy modern operating conditions of axle boxes of the railway rolling stock. The paper proposes to solve this problem by using a single brand of modern multi-purpose lubricant on lithium complex basis (k-Li) – MZT – in axle boxes of all types of railway rolling stock. The presented results of the comparative analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the mentioned lubricants demonstrate that the MZT lubricant completely meets the operating conditions of the axle bearings and can provide their high-quality lubrication under any conditions of operation. The tribological studies of lubricants on frictional testing machines, with simulation of their operation with rolling friction and sliding friction, demonstrated that anti-wear, antifriction and anti-cuffing properties of the MZT lubricant are much better than those of LZ-TsNII and ZhRO lubricants. It has been found out that the properties of the MZT lubricant are most effectively used under high load in friction pairs. The paper presents the results of testing the MZT lubricant in the actual conditions of operation of locomotives, railway cars and multiple unit rolling stock, which demonstrated its high efficiency and operation capacity.