Vesconite Bearings Supplies Low-Friction Bogie Liners to South African Railways

Vesconite Bearings continues to supply cup liners and flat liners to the acclaimed South African Sishen Saldanha heavy-haul railway line, which uses these parts in the centre bowls of the bogie bolsters that support freight wagons.

Vesconite Bearings’ status as the supplier of these parts stems from five decades of development and support to the railways linked to South Africa’s largest iron-ore mine, serviced by the Sishen Saldanha export railway line, which set the world record for the longest and heaviest freight train in 2018.

Flat liners and cup liners are installed in the centre bowl of the bogie bolsters that support freight wagons. They carry the entire railcar load and the total weight bearing on the bogie.

The liners’ success on the railway line is largely due to their use of a proprietary, low-coefficient-of-friction, high-impact-resistant bearing material called Hilube 10.

Bearings made of this material are valued for their:-

•    Low coefficient of friction and low stick-slip, avoiding the jerking motion which occurs when an object is sliding over another. As a result, wagons more easily return to alignment with the bogies that support them;

•    Wheel maintenance and operational cost savings, since flange wear is reduced as well as the associated reprofiling and wheel-replacement costs;

•    Rail maintenance and operational cost savings, since freight wagons no longer run skew on railway lines;

•    Bolster maintenance and operational cost savings, since metal bolster bowls are protected by having cup liners or flat liners in place;

•    High impact strength, since Hilube 10 cup liners and flat liners can absorb the impacts during train acceleration and braking;

•    Solid internal lubrication, which ensures that the coefficient of friction is consistent over time and that the cup liners and flat liners continue to operate efficiently throughout their life cycle;

•    High load-carrying capacity, since Hilube 10 cup liners and flat liners can cope with axle loads of 30 tons;

•    Excellent wear resistance, proven over decades of use; and

•    Good availability thanks to Vesconite Bearings’ focus on rapid despatches and suitable stock holdings.

With the unique Hilube 10 bearing formulation, the liners last the required one million kilometres of travel time before being replaced according to the rolling stock operator’s preventative maintenance schedule. When replaced, they show a small amount of wear but are intact and usable.

The liners remain among Vesconite Bearings’ most long-lasting and successful applications. The Sishen Saldanha railway line continues to be acknowledged as the site where cup liners and flat liners truly established themselves and gained renown by being consistently ordered for decades.