The Design of Rolling Bearing Mountings

PDF 4/8:
Rail vehicles Rolling Bearings
Shipbuilding

FAG OEM und Handel AG Publ. No. WL 00 200/5 EA

The Design of
Rolling Bearing Mountings
Design Examples covering
Machines, Vehicles and Equipment

Publ. No. WL 00 200/5 EA

FAG OEM und Handel AG

A company of the FAG Kugelfischer Group
Postfach 1260 · D-97419 Schweinfurt
Telephone (0 97 21) 91-0 · Telefax (0 97 21) 91 34 35
Telex 67345-0 fag d
Preface

This publication presents design examples covering

various machines, vehicles and equipment having one
thing in common: rolling bearings.

For this reason the brief texts concentrate on the roll-

ing bearing aspects of the applications. The operation
of the machine allows conclusions to be drawn about
the operating conditions which dictate the bearing
type and design, the size and arrangement, fits, lubri-
cation and sealing.

Important rolling bearing engineering terms are print-

ed in italics. At the end of this publication they are
summarized and explained in a glossary of terms, some
supplemented by illustrations.
 Contents
Example Title PDF
RAIL VEHICLES
Wheelsets
42 Axle box roller bearings of an Intercity
train carriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
43-44 UIC axle box roller bearings for
freight cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
45 Axle box roller bearings of series
120's three-phase current locomotive . . . 4/8
46 Axle box roller bearings for an ICE
driving unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
47 Axle box roller bearings for the Channel
tunnel's freight engine, class 92 . . . . . . . 4/8
48 Axle box roller bearings for an
underground train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
49 Axle box roller bearings for a light rail
vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
50 Axle box roller bearings according to
A.A.R. standard and modified types . . . . 4/8
51 Kiln trucks for sand lime brick works . . . 4/8
Drives
52 Universal quill drive for threephase
current locomotives of series 120 . . . . . . 4/8
53 Suspension bearing arrangement
for electric goods train locomotive . . . . . 4/8
54 Spur gear transmission for the
underground or subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
55 Bevel gear transmission for city trains . . . 4/8

SHIPBUILDING
Rudder shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
56-57 Spherical roller bearings as rudder
shaft bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
58-59 Spherical roller thrust bearings as
rudder carriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
60 Spade-type rudder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
Ship shafts
61-62 Ship shaft bearings and stern tube
bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
63-64 Ship shaft thrust blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/8
42 Axle box roller bearings of an Intercity train carriage
The type of axle box roller bearings presented here is Therefore misalignment must be corrected by angular
used for Intercity traffic in Europe. freedom of the housing.
The bogie frame is supported on the bearing housing
by a central coil spring, arranged above the bearings. The same cylindrical roller bearings are used for pas-
The wheelsets are guided by plate-type guiding arms senger cars and freight cars. This simplifies stockkeep-
which are bolted on one side. ing.

Each axle box accommodates two cylindrical roller

Operating data bearings, one FAG WJ130x240TVP and one FAG
WJP130x240P.TVP.
Deadweight of the carriage plus maximum payload:
64,000 kg; two bogies, each with two wheelsets, im- The bearing dimensions (d x D x B) are 130 x 240 x
plies 4 wheelsets per car. 80 mm; the dynamic load rating C of one bearing is
Resulting axle weight per wheelset: A = 64,000/4 = 540 kN.
16,000 kg; weight of wheelset GR = 1,260 kg;
acceleration due to gravity g = 9.81 m/s2; The nominal rating life (Lh10) is checked in kilometres
supplementary factor for dynamic loads occurring dur- when dimensioning the axle box bearings:
ing operation fz = 1.3;
thrust factor for cylindrical roller bearings fa = 1; Lh10km = (C/P)3.33 · D · π = (540/46.99)3.33 · 890 · π =
number of bearings per wheelset iR = 4. 3,397 · 2,497.6 ≈ 9.5 million kilometres.

Thus the equivalent dynamic load per bearing is: Under these conditions the bearings are sufficiently di-
P = (A – GR)/iR · g · fz · fa mensioned. 5 million kilometres (lower limit) applies
today as a basis for dimensioning axle box bearings for
P = (16,000 – 1,260)/4 · 9.81 · 1.3 · 1 = 46,990 N passenger train carriages.
P = 46.99 kN

Wheel diameter DR = 890 mm; Machining tolerances

maximum speed vmax = 200 km/h (possible speed
250 km/h). Bearing inner rings carry circumferential load; therefore
they are press-fitted: axle journal p6, housing H7.

Bearing selection
Bearing clearance
Cylindrical roller bearings installed as axle box roller
bearings offer important advantages: The tight fit expands the bearing inner rings which re-
duces radial clearance. The air stream cools the outer
Mounting is simple and they are easy to check and rings to a greater extent than the inner rings during
maintain in main inspections. travel which leads to a further reduction in radial clear-
ance. Therefore the bearings have a radial clearance of
Axial clearance is irrelevant for radial clearance. Cylin- 120 to 160 microns.
drical roller bearings are pure radial bearings, but the
lips allow the safe accommodation of all thrust loads
(guiding forces) occurring in operation. Lubrication, sealing

Of all the roller bearing types cylindrical roller bear- The bearings are lubricated with a lithium soap base
ings have the lowest friction. Their speed suitability is grease. Lamellar rings at the wheel side provide for ef-
therefore greater than in the case of other roller bear- fective non-rubbing sealing. A baffle plate at the cover
ings. end keeps the grease close to the bearing. Despite the
small amount of grease (≈ 600 g) high running effi-
Cylindrical roller bearings do not, however, compen- ciency (800,000 km and more) can be reached due to
sate for misalignment between axle and bogie frame. the polyamide cages without changing the lubricant.
42: Axle box roller bearings of an Intercity train carriage
43–44 UIC axle box roller bearings for freight cars
The car body is supported by laminated springs on the from the air stream developed during travel which
wheelset.The laminated springs have the additional cools the outer ring more than the inner ring. There-
job of guiding the wheelset. To limit the swaying mo- fore, cylindrical roller bearings with a radial clearance
tion of the car body and to accommodate the thrust of 130 to 180 microns and spherical roller bearings
peaks, the housing features guiding surfaces in which with increased radial clearance C3 are chosen.
the axle support of the frame is engaged. Cylindrical or
spherical roller bearings are used as axle box roller
bearings. The housing boundary dimensions of the
UIC bearing are standardized. According to the latest
UIC conditions 130 mm diameter journals are speci-
fied for cylindrical and spherical roller bearings. In
some cases 120 mm journals are used for cylindrical Lubrication, sealing
roller bearings.
The axle box roller bearings are lubricated with a lithi-
um soap base grease. Felt seals combined with a laby-
Clearance rinth have proved most effective for cylindrical roller
bearings.
The tight fit expands the inner ring thus reducing UIC axle boxes with spherical roller bearings invari-
radial clearance. A further clearance reduction results ably use only labyrinth seals.

Dimensioning, bearing selection

Operating data 43: UIC axle boxes with 44: UIC axle boxes with
cylindrical roller bearings spherical roller bearings

Deadweight with max. payload Gmax 40,000 kg 40,000 kg

Top speed vmax 100 km/h 100 km/h
Wheel diameter DR 1m 1m
Number of wheelsets 2 2
Wheelset weight GR 1,300 kg 1,300 kg
Weight on axle A 20,000 kg 20,000 kg
Number of bearings per wheelset iR 4 cylindrical roller bearings 4 spherical roller bearings
Supplementary factor fz · fa 1.3 · 1 = 1.3 1.3 · 1.25 = 1.625
(fa = 1 for cylindrical roller bearings where thrust loads
are taken up by the lips;
fa = 1.25 for spherical roller bearings where thrust loads
are taken up by the raceways.)
Equivalent load:
P = (A – GR) · g · fz · fa/iR (g = 9.81 m/s2) 59.6 kN 74.5 kN
Average travelling speed (vFm = 0.75 · vmax) 75 km/h 75 km/h
Average wheelset speed n = 5,310 · vFm (km/h)/DR (mm) 400 min–1 400 min–1
Speed factor fn 0.475 0.475
Index of dynamic stressing fL 3.5 3.5
Required dynamic load rating of one bearing:
C = fL/fn · P 439 kN 549 kN
Bearings mounted: Cylindrical roller bearings 2 spherical roller bearings
FAG WJ130x240TVP and FAG 502472AA
FAG WJP130x240P.TVP
Bore x outside diameter x width 130 x 240 x 80 mm 130 x 220 x 73 mm
Dynamic load rating 540 kN 585 kN
Machining tolerances of journals p6 p6
Machining tolerances of housing bores H7 H7
Radial clearance 130...180 µm Clearance group C3
43: UIC axle boxes with cylindrical roller bearings

44: UIC axle boxes with spherical roller bearings

45 Axle box roller bearings
of series 120's three-phase current locomotive
The frame is supported by coil springs and spring seats The axial clearance which arises thereby, is necessary to
which are integrated in the bearing housing. The compensate for bogie production tolerances. The bear-
spring seats are arranged at different heights. The bear- ing can always be mounted without preload.
ing is guided by an arm on each side which is linked
diagonally to the housing. The arms are supported by Machining tolerances
elastic damping springs. The bearing inner rings have circumferential load and
are therefore given a tight fit: Journals to p6. The hous-
Technical data ing material, an aluminium cast alloy, has a greater co-
Vehicle weight: 84,000 kg efficient of expansion than cast steel which is why the
Number of wheelsets: 4 tolerance field J7 was selected and not the housing tol-
Wheelset weight: 2,250 kg erance H7 usually taken for cast steel housings.
Axle load: 22,000 kg
Supplementary factor fz = 1.5 Bearing clearance
The locomotive reaches top travelling speeds up to Due to the tight fit the bearing inner rings expand; the
200 km/h. radial clearance becomes smaller. The outer ring is
cooled more than the inner ring by the wind resistance
Bearing selection during travel which leads to a further reduction of
Please refer to example number 42 to determine the clearance. For this reason bearings with increased
equivalent dynamic load P. radial clearance C4 have been selected.
Cylindrical roller bearings of the type NJ and NJP
Lubrication, sealing
with the dimensions 180 x 320 x 75 mm are mounted.
Dynamic load rating of one bearing: C = 735 kN. The A lithium soap base grease is used for lubrication. On
outer and inner rings of both bearings are separated by the wheel side the bearing is sealed by a two-web laby-
spacer rings. The inner spacer ring is 2 mm wider than rinth seal. A V ring seal protects from contaminants on
that of the outer rings. the opposite side.

45: Axle box roller bearings of series 120's three-phase current locomotive
46 Axle box roller bearings for the ICE driving unit
The bogie frame is supported by 2 coil springs each on Housing to: H7 (for GGG material)
the bearing housings. The wheelset with the housings J7 (for aluminium alloys).
is connected to the bogie by an arm. A setting mecha-
nism enables the mounting of the wheelsets in the
bogies without preload. The bearing units are axially
located by a cover.
Bearing clearance

Operating data A slight axial clearance is required for ideal running be-
haviour of the bogies at top speeds. It is between 0.2
Axle load: 19,900 kg and 0.5 mm after mounting.
Weight of unsprung weight: 2,090 kg
Diameter of wheel 1,040 mm
Maximum speed 250 to 280 km/h.

Bearing selection Lubrication, sealing

FAG tapered roller bearing units TAROL 150/250 are The TAROL 150 is supplied as a complete unit which
mounted in the wheelset housings of the series vehicles is sealed. The sealing system consists of two parallel
with the designation ET 401. The main component of outer diameter seated lamellar rings and one single-
these units is a double row tapered roller bearing with web labyrinth acting as a pre-seal. The labyrinth is
the dimensions: 150 x 250 x 160 mm. shaped as a seal cap and pressed into the cup.

The seal caps are each provided with four discharge

Machining tolerances holes through which excess grease escapes. This is par-
ticularly important directly after relubrication. O rings
The cones carry circumferential load and therefore have protect the bearing unit from the penetration of water
a tight fit: journal to p6. in the seating area of the cup.

46: Axle box roller bearings of the ICE driving unit

47 Axle box roller bearings
of the Channel tunnel's freight engine, class 92
Class 92 is used for freight traffic in the Euro tunnel The floating axle is accommodated in two cylindrical
between Great Britain and the Continent. It is a two- roller bearings whose dimensions are 150 x 250 x
system engine which means it can be operated on di- 80 mm. The extended inner ring allows axial displace-
rect current (750 V) as well as on alternating current ment within the bearing of ± 20 mm at a maximum.
(25 kV). The engine with six axles (CoCo) draws loads
weighing up to 1,600 t. Sealing is achieved at the wheel end by means of long-
webbed labyrinths.
The vertical loads of the bogie are accommodated by
two lateral coil springs on the housing of the axle box
bearings. All lateral and longitudinal forces act via the
guiding journals and sleeves which are attached to the Machining tolerances
bogie frame and the housing.
The inner rings carry circumferential load and have a
The middle axle of each triple axle bogie is designed as tight fit to p6 on the journal.
a floating axle box to insure trouble-free operation in The housing bores (point load ) are machined accord-
narrow curves. The two outer axles are designed as ing to H7.
standard axles as customary.

Bearing clearance
Operating data
Prior to mounting, the TAROL units of the standard
Vehicle weight 126,000 kg; two bogies each with three axle have an axial clearance of 0.665...0.740 mm and
axles; wheel diameter 1,120 mm; top speed vmax = the cylindrical roller bearing units a radial clearance to
140 km/h; C4 in order to compensate for heat expansion.
Power P = 5,000 kW at 25 kV AC
4,000 kW at 750 V DC

Bearing selection Lubrication

Tapered roller bearing units TAROL 150/250 with Both bearing types are lubricated with a lithium soap
pressed cages (JP) are mounted to the outer standard base grease. While the lubricant in the TAROL bear-
axles of the vehicles. The bearings are clearance-adjust- ings is only changed during the main inspections, the
ed, greased and sealed by the manufacturer. Fey lamel- floating axle bearings must be relubricated in between.
lar rings provide for sealing on the side facing the Due to the constant right to left displacement of the
wheel. A gap-type seal prevents rough dirt from pene- axle lubricant is removed from the bearing area and
trating the bearings. therefore has to be replaced regularly.
47: Axle box roller bearings of the Channel tunnel's freight engine, class 92
48 Axle box roller bearings for an underground train
A car has two bogies. Each axle box roller bearings is Machining tolerances
cushioned and guided by rubber-metal silent blocks.
These are arranged between the axle box roller bearing The bearing inner rings carry circumferential load and
and the frame opening. They are inclined to the verti- are therefore given a tight fit: journal to m6, housing
cal and have an angular cross-section. to H7.

Operating data
Bearing clearance
Weight and maximum payload of one car: 34,000 kg.
The inner rings increase due to the tight fit: the radial
Number of wheelsets per bogie: 2.
clearance decreases. The outer rings are cooled more
Wheelset weight GR: 1,400 kg.
than the inner rings due to the air stream during travel.
Supplementary factor fz: 1.3.
This leads to a further reduction in clearance and
Equivalent dynamic load P = 22.6 kN.
therefore a radial clearance C3 was selected.
Wheel diameter DR = 900 mm.
Top speed vmax = 80 km/h.

Lubrication, sealing
Bearing selection
A lithium soap base grease is used for lubrication. A
Two cylindrical roller bearings are mounted per axle combination of a felt ring and a labrinth was selected
box: One FAG NJ2318E.TVP2.C3.F2.H25 and one as a means of sealing.
FAG NJP2318ED.TVP2.C3.F2 (dynamic load rating The labyrinth is provided with two axial webs since the
C = 430 kN). axle boxes are subjected to extreme dirt.

48: Axle box roller bearings for an underground train

49 Axle box roller bearings for a city train
The bogie frame is supported by Chevron springs on Bearing clearance
the axle boxes.
Prior to mounting, the axial clearance of the bearing
unit TAROL 90 is 530 – 630 microns.
Operating data

The equivalent dynamic load Pm = 37 kN (calculated Machining tolerances

from the various load conditions).
Mean wheel diameter 640 mm. The bearing cones carry circumferential load and are
Maximum speed vmax = 80 km/h. therefore given a tight fit: journal n6.

Bearing selection Lubrication, sealing

The main component of the FAG bearing units Lubrication is with a lithium soap base grease. The
TAROL 90 used here is a double row tapered roller TAROL 90 is sealed at both ends with lamellar rings.
bearing whose main dimensions are (d x D x B overall The backing ring also has a collar which forms a gap-
widths cones/cup) 90 x 154 x 106/115 mm. type seal with the lid on the wheel side.

49: Axle box roller bearings for a city train

50 Axle box roller bearings
according to AAR standard*) and modified types
The FAG TAROL unit according to AAR standards is FAG use two types of seals: the rubbing radial shaft seal
a compact bearing unit with a double row tapered roll- (fig. a) corresponds to the design used by AAR. The
er bearing as the main component. Seals at both sides non-rubbing lamellar seal ring (fig. b) was developed
of the bearing, accessories and the grease filling make by FAG and tested and approved by AAR.
the FAG TAROL a ready-to-mount unit. Neither is
the adjustment of the bearing clearance required. The
so-called NFL design (no field lubrication) is consid-
ered standard today. These TAROL units are no longer
relubricated during operation. The bearing grease is
only renewed during a main inspection.

TAROL units do not have to be mounted into a hous-

ing. An adapter is attached between the TAROL unit
and the bogie frame to transmit the loads and support
the bearing cup on the loaded part of the circumfer-
ence.

FAG supply NARROW and WIDE adapters accord- a: Rubbing radial shaft seal
ing to the AAR standards as well as special adapters de-
signed for the particular cases of application.

AAR has stipulated the admissible loads for the various

sizes of TAROL units.

Components of the FAG tapered roller bearing unit

TAROL

1 Locking plate
2 Cap screw
3 End cap b: Non-rubbing lamellar seal
4 Bearing cup
5 Bearing cone with roller set
6 Spacer FAG also supply TAROL units in metric dimensions.
7 Seal wear ring They (fig. c) have narrower tapered roller bearings and
8 Seal smaller sealing and retaining components than the
9 Backing ring AAR design. The relevant journals are also shorter re-
sulting in lower bending stresses with the same shaft
diameter than in the case of the AAR arrangement.
Higher wheel loads are therefore admissible.

2
1

7 8 5 6 4 7 8 9

50: TAROL units

with a double-row tapered roller bearing
c: TAROL units in metric dimensions and with short journal
*) Association of American Railroads (SK design)
51 Kiln trucks for sand lime brick works
Operating conditions The bearings are designed for a truck with two wheel-
sets accommodating a total weight Fr of 43 kN.
In sand lime brick autoclaves the wheelset bearings of The bearing load for each bearing is relatively low at
the kiln trucks are exposed for many hours to hot Fr/4 allowing the use of inexpensive FAG
steam of approximately 200 °C at 16 to 22 bars. Due 6208.R200.250.S1 deep groove ball bearings.
to corrosion hazard the bearing location should be Considering the high operating temperatures the
protected against penetration of the steam which is bearings have a particularly large radial clearance
strongly alkaline. (200...250 or 250...350 microns), are heat-treated
according to S1 (200 °C) and are dimensionally stable.

The bearings of the kiln trucks are mounted on the

Bearings shaft as far as its shoulder by means of a punching cap
and fastened securely with a shaft end washer and
Sealing requires major attention when designing the screw. They have a loose fit in the housing bore of the
bearing arrangement. The best solution is the use of FAG series housing SUB6208. Two bolts attach the
pulverized synthetic FAG sealing agent and solid lubri- housings to the frame of the trucks. Strips inserted
cant Arcanol DF. This lubricant is suitable for tempera- between housing and frame compensate for any differ-
tures ranging between –200 °C and +300 °C and re- ences in height due to warping of the truck frame.
sists almost any chemical even at high temperatures. It
is non-ageing and water repellent. The powder is
Machining tolerances
packed into the bearing location penetrating into all
cavities of the arrangement and forming a lubricating
Shaft: bearing seat j6.
film between balls and raceways, balls and cage and
Housing: the diameter of bearing seat is between
also between outer ring and housing bore. The film in
0.5 mm and 0.8 mm larger than the bearing O.D.
the housing bore ensures easy bearing displaceability,
even after prolonged operation. This protects the bear-
ing against detrimental axial preload. Sealing
In addition to lubrication Arcanol DF also acts as a
sealing agent. It settles in the sealing gaps of the axle Heat-resistant aramide stuffing box packings seal the
passage and protects the inside of the bearings against bearing area at the axle passage. The cover flange is also
the ingress of alkaline condensate. provided with a heat-resistant seal.

51: Kiln trucks for sand lime brick works

52 Universal quill drive
for threephase current locomotives of series 120
All four wheelsets of series 120's threephase current lo- mounted in O arrangement. Even with a small bearing
comotives are driven. The traction motor arranged distance there is a relatively large spread and as a result
transversely to the direction of travel is connected to tilting rigidity is high.
the bogie at three points. The torque of the traction The quill drive housing is stationary. The cones, which
motor acts via pinion and bullgear on a universal quill carry point load, have a loose fit. The cups carry cir-
drive which is linked to the bullgear and driving wheel cumferential load and have therefore a tight fit in the
by the articulated lever coupling. The driving wheel rotating bullgear.
transmits the tractive force to the rails. The axial clearance of the bearing pair depends on the
machining tolerances of the bearing seats and the oper-
Operating data ating conditions. With inner and outer spacer sleeves
bearing adjustment is not necessary when mounting.
Top speed: 200 km/h; number of motors: 4; nominal
power per motor: 1,400 kW; motor speed: max.
4,300 min–1. Lubrication

Bearing selection During mounting the bearings and the space between
the webs of the outer spacer sleeves are completely
The bullgear is supported on the universal quill drive filled with a lithium soap base grease of the NLGI class
in two tapered roller bearings FAG 534052 (dimen- 2. They are relubricated after every 150,000 km. The
sions: 381.03 x 479.475 x 49.213 mm) which are grease is fed through the holes of the sleeve's web.

52: Bullgear bearing arrangement for a universal quill drive

53 Suspension bearing arrangement
for electric goods train locomotive
The torque of the traction motor is transmitted to the by special tapered roller bearings with reinforced
wheelset axle via pinion and bullgear. The traction mo- pressed cage (reduced number of rollers).
tor arranged transversely to the direction of travel is
supported directly on the wheelset axle in two bearing Both tapered roller bearings are mounted in O arrange-
locations. The reaction torque is taken up by another ment with little axial clearance (0.2...0.3 mm). When
support point at the bogie frame. the shaft has a maximum load the cups and cones are
tilted by up to 3' against each other. The profile of the
Operating data tapered rollers or raceways are modified (slightly
crowned) in order to avoid edge stressing.
Six driven wheelsets, power per traction motor:
500 kW. Max. speed: 100 km/h. Machining tolerances

Bearing selection, dimensioning The cups have circumferential load and an interference
fit on the shaft. The cup or the angle sleeve in the
For a suspension bearing to have a long service life housing is given a tight fit (perhaps a drive seat).
(nominal life over 2 million kilometres) roller bearings
with a high load carrying capacity are selected. A me- Lubrication, sealing
dium drive torque and a medium speed are taken as a
basis for dimensioning. The index of dynamic stressing The suspension bearings are lubricated with a lithium
fL should be 3.5 at least. Usually it is well above it. soap base grease of penetration class 3 with anti-corro-
sion additives. Baffle plates hold the grease at the bear-
Two FAG tapered roller bearings are mounted their di- ing (grease storage).
mensions being 230.188 x 317.5 x 47.625 mm and The relubrication interval is about 200,000 to
231.775 x 336.55 x 65.088 mm. They are abundantly 300,000 km depending on the type of operation.
dimensioned because of the large shaft diameter. High Labyrinth gap-type seals protect the bearing from con-
loads due to vibrations and shocks are accommodated taminants.

53: Suspension bearing arrangement for electric goods train locomotive

54 Spur gear transmission for the underground or subway
The drive of modern suburban vehicles should provide angle sleeve. The demand for a sufficient axial operat-
for a high degree of travel comfort, low noise, and be ing clearance in addition to the tight fit is met with an-
economical at the same time. These requirements are gular contact ball bearings in universal design. The axial
fulfilled by a new compact drive package which is clearance of the bearing pair prior to mounting is
completely supported on springs in the bogie. 70 microns.

Intermediate shaft
Operating data A spherical roller bearing FAG 22218E is mounted as
the locating bearing of the intermediate shaft. Its outer
Two step parallel shaft drive, helical/double helical ring is in a steel angle sleeve. The spherical roller bear-
gearing. Drive speed (input shaft) nmax = 5,860 min–1, ing accommodates chiefly axial forces from the gear-
step-up i = 11.025. ing. The floating bearing, a cylindrical roller bearing
FAG NJ2216E.C3, is directly in the light-metal hous-
The drive motor is flanged on to the transmission. A ing with the outer ring. The very tight fit in the hous-
universal joint coupling transmits the torque directly ing necessitates a bearing with increased radial clear-
to the wheelset from the transmission. The gearbox ance (C3).
case, which is split at axis height, is made of high-
strength cast aluminium. This is 25 % lighter than Output shaft
spheroidal graphite cast iron. The output shaft whose large spur gear has a double
helical gearing, is axially guided by the spherical roller
bearing of the intermediate shaft. The floating bearing
Bearing selection arrangement with two cylindrical roller bearings FAG
NUZ1848 is therefore sufficient for the output shaft.
Input shaft The NUZ design with an extended inner ring raceway
The rotor of the drive motor is firmly attached to the allows a large axial displacement of the hollow shaft.
input shaft of the transmission. An elastic coupling
which can be subject to bending, avoids constraining
forces in the shaft line which is supported in three Machining tolerances
positions by a locating-floating bearing arrangement.
The floating bearing in the motor is a cylindrical roller Angular contact ball
bearing FAG NU212E (not illustrated). A second bearing pair Shaft k5; pair housing K6
floating bearing, a cylindrical roller bearing FAG Spherical roller bearing Shaft m5; housing K6
NJ215E, is at the motor end of the input shaft. The Cylindrical roller bearing/
locating bearing arrangement of the input shaft is an intermediate shaft Shaft m5; housing N6
angular contact ball bearing pair FAG 7215B.UA70 in Cylindrical roller bearing/
X arrangement. Both angular contact ball bearings are output shaft Shaft n5; housing
fitted in an angle sleeve made of steel. Therefore differ- N6...P6
ent heat expansion coefficients of steel and light metal
cannot have a direct effect on the bearings. Lubrication
The bearings accommodate high speeds with a close
axial guidance at the same time. This means tight fits All the bearings of the transmission are lubricated by
for the bearing rings on the shaft and in the bore of the the oil circuit of the gearings.
 Output hollow shaft
Antriebs-Hohlwelle

Intermediate shaft
Zwischenwelle
Input shaft
Eingangswelle

54: Spur gear transmission for the underground or subway

55 Bevel gear transmission for city trains
With a so-called two-axled longitudinal drive in under- Machining tolerances
ground and metropolitan vehicles the traction motor
(usually direct current motor) is arranged in the bogie Cylindrical roller bearing: Shaft m6, housing M6
in the direction of travel. A bevel gear transmission is Tapered roller bearing/
flanged onto both sides of the motor's face. The drive motor end: Shaft m6, sleeve M6
unit firmly attached to the bogie frame is elastically Tapered roller bearing
supported by the wheel sets. The drive power is trans- with mantle ring: Shaft m6, ring R6 (S7)
mitted from the pinion shaft to the hollow ring gear Tapered roller bearing
shaft and then via rubber couplings to the driving of ring gear shaft: Shaft n6 – p6
wheel shaft. This drive design leads to good running housing K6 – M6
behaviour and moderate stressing for the traction mo-
tor, transmission and track superstructure. The axial clearance of the tapered roller bearing pair
depends on gearing and the operating conditions.

Dimensioning, bearing selection Lubrication

Mean torques and speeds (hourly torque, hourly Oil sump lubrication provides the transmission bear-
speed) are calculated from the tractive force – surface ings with lubricant. The flinger oil is conveyed via the
speed diagram and the time shares for the various run- ring gear from the oil sump and fed directly to the
ning conditions. By means of the gearing data the transmission bearings via oil collecting bowls and sup-
tooth loads of the hypoid bevel gear step are calculated ply ducts. The special driving conditions for city trains
and, depending on the lever arms, are distributed to demand highly doped oils which are resistant to heat
the bearing locations. and corrosion.
A life of 20,000 to 30,000 hours is assumed for bearing
dimensioning. Assuming an average travel speed this
corresponds to 1.2 – 1.3 million kilometers.
To check the static safety of the bearings the maximum
torque (slippage torque) is taken as a basis.

Pinion shaft
A single-row cylindrical roller bearing FAG
NJ2224E.M1A.C3 (120 x 215 x 58 mm) is mounted
as a floating bearing at the pinion end. It accommo-
dates the high radial loads. The machined cage of the
bearing is guided at the outer ring. The bearing has the
increased radial clearance C3 since the bearing rings
have a tight fit on the shaft and in the housing. Two ta-
pered roller bearings FAG 31316 (80 x 170 x 42.5
mm) are used as locating bearings. They are mounted in
pairs in O arrangement. The bearing at the motor end
accommodates the radial loads as well as the axial loads
from the gearing; the other tapered roller bearing only
accommodates the axial loads arising during a change
in direction of rotation. A minimum bearing load is a
requirement in order to avoid harmful sliding motion
(slippage) and premature wear. The cups of the
tapered roller bearings are therefore preloaded with
springs.

Ring gear shaft

There is a tapered roller bearing with the dimensions
210 x 300 x 54.5 mm at each side of the ring gear.
Both bearings are adjusted in X arrangement. 55: Bevel gear transmission for city trains
56–60 Rudder shafts
The rudders of ships make slow intermittent slewing Rolling bearings are only used for the bearing positions
motions. The maximum slewing angle is about 35° to of the rudders inside ships. They are not suitable for
both sides. The rudder shaft bearings accommodate the bearing positions located outside the ship due to
the radial and axial loads arising from the rudder and mounting difficulties and problems with sealing and
the steering engine. The bearings are also subjected to lubricating. For such locations, plain bearings made of
the vibrations created by the propeller jet. There are stainless steel, bronze, plastic etc. are used and water or
numerous types of rudders the most common of which a mixture of grease and water is used for lubrication.
are illustrated in figs. a to c.

a) Semi-spade rudder b) Spade-type rudder c) Steering nozzle

56–57 Spherical roller bearings as rudder shaft bearings
Operating data Machining tolerances

Axial load 115 kN (weight of rudder and shaft), radial Shaft taper 1 : 12, housing H7.
load 350 kN (driving force of steering engine and
rudder). Lubrication, sealing

During mounting, the cavities of the spherical roller

Bearing selection, dimensioning bearings and housings are completely filled with lithi-
um soap base grease of consistency number 2 which con-
Due to the heavy loads and unavoidable misalignment tains EP additives.
spherical roller bearings are used. They have a high
load carrying capacity and are self-aligning. The rudder Rudder shaft bearing FAG RS3052KS.1.....
shaft diameter depends on size and speed of the ship as The bearing is grease lubricated. It sits in the pot-like
well as on the type and size of the rudder used. The housing which is attached to the housing base plate by
bearing bore and the size of the bearing are determined sturdy webs. A stuffing box seal is mounted in this base
by the shaft diameter specified. A spherical roller bear- plate. Its packing runs on a sleeve of seawater-resistant
ing FAG 23052K.MB.R40.90 or FAG 23052K.MB.C2 steel.
(radial clearance 150...220 microns) is mounted. Dur- Due to the separation between the upper half and the
ing mounting the bearing inner ring is pressed onto base any spray water which could penetrate runs along
the tapered shaft seat so that the bearing operates the side and does not get into the rolling bearing. The
under a light preload. Vibrations can thus be adequate- stuffing box can be inspected at any time during oper-
ly accommodated. The hydraulic method facilitates ation and if necessary readjusted. The bottom end of
dismounting particularly in the case of bearings with the bearing is provided with a spring seal. A felt seal
C2 bearing clearance. For this purpose the shaft must and V ring suffice for sealing at the top end. This bear-
have oil ducts and the tapered seat a circular groove. ing arrangement with stuffing box seal is maintenance-
free.
The housings of rudder shaft bearings FAG
RS3052KS.1..... or FAG RS3052KW.1..... are made of Rudder shaft bearing FAG RS3052KW.1.....
welded shipbuilding steel plates. Bearing and seal are in one and the same housing and
are lubricated with grease. The bearing arrangement
The static safety of a rudder shaft bearing is checked can also be below the waterline. Sealing consists of
because of the few slewing motions. An index of static three seawater-proof shaft sealing rings with an inter-
stressing fs between 4 and 5 is suitable for spherical mediate grease chamber. An automatic grease pump
roller bearings. holds the latter under permanent pressure.

56: Rudder shaft bearing FAG RS3052KS.1..... 57: Rudder shaft bearing FAG RS3052KW.1.....
58–59 Spherical roller thrust bearings as rudder carriers
Spherical roller thrust bearings are used when the top Powerful springs under the bearing outer ring provide
bearing mainly has to take up the weight of the rudder a permanent positive contact of rollers and raceways.
and shaft. This is the case for all rudder drives not The supplementary plain bearing also accommodates
loaded by lateral forces, such as for rotary vane steering radial forces, if for example a cylinder in a four-cylin-
gears and four-cylinder engines, which do not operate der steering engine fails.
spade-type rudders.
The two designs, N and W, for rudder carriers, differ
only in their sealing.
Machining tolerances

Shaft h7. The housing is relief turned to ensure axial

Bearing selection, dimensioning
spring preload via the housing washer.
The shaft diameter is determined according to formu-
lae of the Classification Societies. Thus the bore diam-
eter of the rolling bearing is fixed. Due to the high Lubrication, sealing
axial load carrying capacity a spherical roller thrust
bearing FAG 29284E.MB with the dimensions 420 x During mounting, the cavities of the spherical roller
580 x 95 mm is mounted directly on the shaft. The thrust bearings and housings are completely filled with
bearing's index of static stressing fs ≥ 10. lithium soap base grease (consistency number 2 with EP
additives). As with radial spherical roller rudder bear-
The welded housings are extraordinarily flat – they ings, there are also two designs (N and W) in the case
protrude just slightly beyond the deck or mounting of rudder carrier bearings. Only the seal differs:
base. This provides advantages especially for larger FAG RS9284N.1..... rudder carrier bearings have felt
steering engines, since the rudder shaft extension can seals, the rudder carrier bearings FAG RS9284W.1.....
be kept short due to the low mounting and dismount- are sealed with seawater-proof shaft sealing rings.
ing height. Both designs have a V-ring seal at the housing cover.

58: Rudder carrier bearing FAG RS9284N.1..... 59: Rudder carrier bearing FAG RS9284W.1.....
60 Spade-type rudder
Design The radial sealing rings run on a sleeve made of sea-
water-resistant steel. The lips form a grease chamber
The slewing motion is accommodated by a top bearing permanently pressurized by an automatic grease pump.
and a bottom bearing. Both bearing locations are Some of the grease (lithium soap base grease of the con-
equipped with rolling bearings since they are inside the sistency number 2 with EP additives) penetrates into
ship's hull. The top bearing or rudder carrier is de- the housing keeping the initial grease packing under
signed as the locating bearing due to the locating ring constant pressure.
between cover and bearing outer ring. The bottom
bearing is the floating bearing. Spherical roller bear- The seal above the bearing (shaft sealing ring and V
ings are used at both locations and the bearing ring) protects it against water which may either run
arrangement is therefore statically defined and not down the shaft or collect in the rudder trunk.
affected by misalignment of housing bores, warping of
the ship's hull and rudder shaft deformation. Both The top spherical roller bearing, an FAG
spherical roller bearings are mounted on adapter 23188K.MB.R50.130 (or 23188K.MB.C2), is
sleeves which are mounted and dismounted by means mounted on the shaft with an adapter sleeve FAG
of the hydraulic method. The relevant adapter sleeves H3188HG. The adapter sleeve is fixed axially; below
(HG design) have connecting holes and grooves for by the shaft shoulder and above by a split holding ring
the pressure oil. which is bolted into a circular groove in the shaft. This
upper bearing also takes up the weight from rudder
and shaft as well as the radial loads. A shaft sealing ring
Operating data is fitted at the upper and at the lower shaft diameter
for sealing purposes. There is also a V ring at the upper
Top bearing: shaft passage.
Axial load 380 kN (weight of rudder and shaft).
Radial load 1,700 kN (load from rudder and steering When relubricating with an automatic grease press, the
engine). initial grease filling is kept under pressure and the seal
rings are lubricated at the same time.
Bottom bearing:
Radial load 4,500 kN (load from rudder and steering
engine).
Machining tolerances

Rudder shaft h8, cylindricity tolerance IT5/2 (DIN

Bearing selection, dimensioning, sealing
ISO 1101). Housing H7.
Bearing selection is based on the specified shaft diame-
ter and the given loads. Since the bearings only make
slewing motions they are selected according to their Bearing clearance
static load carrying capacity. An index of static stressing
fs ≥ 4 is a must. The bearings have a particularly small radial clearance:
the lower bearing has 60 to 210 microns or 390 to 570
The bottom spherical roller bearing, an FAG microns and the upper bearing has 50 to 130 microns
230/750K.MB.R60.210 (or 230/750K.MB.C2), is or 230 to 330 microns. During mounting, the bear-
located on an adapter sleeve FAG H30/750HG. Since ings are pressed onto the adapter sleeve so far that they
this bearing is permanently below the waterline, obtain a preload of 20 to 30 microns. With these pre-
special sealing must be provided for the shaft passage. loaded bearings vibrations are easily accommodated.
60: Spade-type rudder bearings
61–62 Ship shaft bearings and stern tube bearings
The propeller shaft of a ship is carried by so-called sup- The housing's sealing is provided for by the radial shaft
port bearings. Since length variations of the shaft are sealing rings in the cover. For small quantities, welded
considerable, particularly with long shafts, the bearings housings are generally more economical than cast
must have axial freedom. The last part of the shaft sup- housings. Fig. 61b is an alternative ship shaft bearing
porting the propeller, runs in the so-called stern tube arrangement made up of a spherical roller bearing
or tail shaft bearings. FAG 23048K.MB with adapter sleeve H3048 and a
split plummer block housing S3048KBL.1.....
Operating data (material GG-25).
Shaft diameter 560 mm; nominal speed of propeller The ship shaft is surrounded by the stern tube at the
shaft 105 min–1. stern. Fig. 62 shows a stern tube bearing arrangement,
Radial load from shaft and coupling 62 kN, no axial both bearings are designed as floating bearings. The tail
load – the propeller thrust is taken up by the propeller bearing is also loaded by propeller weight and wave ac-
thrust block (figs. 63 and 64). With a supplementary tion. Spherical roller bearings are applied here also
factor of 100 % on the radial load (fz = 2), shocks or whose inner rings, with adapter sleeves, are attached to
other dynamic forces are sufficiently taken into consid- the shaft. A special stern tube sealing protects the bear-
eration when determining the bearing stress. ings from seawater.

Bearing selection, dimensioning, sealing

Since the diameter of the ship shaft is specified, the Machining tolerances
bearings are overdimensioned for the loads to be accom- The inner rings carry circumferential load.
modated. Thus the index of dynamic stressing fL ranges Adapter sleeve seat on the shaft h8. Cylindricity toler-
from 4 to 6 and therefore a high nominal life (Lh) is ob- ance IT5/2 (DIN ISO 1101); housing bore H7.
tained. With very good cleanliness in the lubricating Flanged housings are used for the tail shaft bearings.
gap, endurance strength is reached in the adjusted life cal-
culation (Lhna) for ship shaft and stern tube bearings.
A spherical roller bearing FAG 239/600BK.MB (di-
Lubrication
mensions 600 x 800 x 150 mm, dynamic load rating C =
3,450 kN) is used as ship shaft bearing. By means of the The bearings are lubricated with a non-aging oil with
hydraulic method the bearing is attached to the shaft EP additives (viscosity 150 to 300 mm2/s at 40°C). The
with an adapter sleeve FAG H39/600HG and is located lower parts of the support bearing housings have view-
in a plummer block housing FAG SUC39/600H.1..... ing glasses or oil dip sticks on which the permissible
(fig. 61a). The housing is made of grey cast iron GG- maximum and minimum oil levels are marked. The
25 and consists of a unsplit housing body with two stern tube is filled with oil. The oil pressure is kept a
split covers. little higher than that of the surrounding water.

61a: Ship shaft bearing; spherical roller bearing in SUC housing

61b: Ship shaft bearing. Spherical roller bearing in S30.K housing

62: Stern tube or tail shaft bearing arrangement

63–64 Ship shaft thrust blocks
The thrust block is located directly behind a ship's en- Machining tolerances
gine. It transmits the propeller thrust to the ship.
Apart from a small radial load from the shaft weight Fig. 63a:
the bearing is loaded by a purely concentric thrust Spherical roller thrust bearing Shaft m6; housing H7
load. Depending on the direction of rotation of the Fig. 63b:
propeller, it acts either forward or backward. During Spherical roller thrust bearing Shaft n6; housing relief
sternway the thrust load is lower and usually occurs turned
only seldom. Three bearing arrangements are com- Radial spherical roller bearing Shaft n6; housing F7
monly used for these requirements: Fig. 64a, 64b:
Spherical roller thrust bearing Shaft m6; housing relief
Fig. 63a illustrates a thrust block arrangement with turned
two spherical roller thrust bearings for small shaft di- Radial spherical roller bearing Shaft m6; housing H7
ameters in a SGA plummer block housing.

Fig. 63b illustrates a thrust block arrangement with Dimensioning of bearings

two spherical roller thrust bearings and one radial
spherical roller bearing in an FKA flanged housing. The diameter of the thrust block shaft is determined
according to the guidelines of the Classification Soci-
Both bearing arrangements are used when the axial eties. Taking the power output into account the nomi-
load carrying capacity of a radial spherical roller bear- nal life Lh [h] and the resulting index of dynamic stress-
ing is insufficient when sternway is very frequent. The ing fL are calculated. An fL value of 3 – 4 is recom-
spherical roller thrust bearings accommodate the pro- mended for the rolling bearings in ship shaft thrust
peller thrust during forward motion and the propeller blocks. Particularly with utmost cleanliness in the lu-
pull during sternway. In 63a the thrust bearings accom- bricating gap, ship shaft thrust blocks reach endurance
modate the weight also while in 63b the weight of strength according to the adjusted life calculation.
shaft and propeller is supported by a radial spherical
roller bearing.
Design
Fig. 64 shows ship shaft thrust blocks each with a
spherical roller thrust bearing and a radial spherical Ship shaft thrust blocks are supplied as complete units
roller bearing: FAG BEHT.DRL. The unit includes bearings, housing
a: – in SGA housing, b: – in SUB housing with sealing and thrust block shaft with loose flange.
The FAG thrust block housings are supplied either in
The curvature centres of the outer ring raceways of the split design SGA (figs. 63a and 64a) or in unsplit de-
radial and axial bearings coincide. The bearings are sign FKA (fig. 63b) or SUB (fig. 64b).
therefore self-aligning and thus misalignment and
bending of the shaft and hull are compensated for. In Order example for unit
these thrust blocks only the propeller thrust is accom- FAG BEHT:GRL:110.156680, consisting of:
modated by the spherical roller thrust bearing during 1 Plummer block housing FAG SGA9322.156678
forward motion. The radial spherical roller bearing 1 Thrust block shaft with loose flange
transmits the weight of the shaft and the propeller pull FAG DRW110 x 610.156678
during sternway. The spherical roller thrust bearing 2 Spherical roller thrust bearings FAG 29322E
not under stress is preloaded by springs so that it does 1 Locknut FAG KM26
not lift during sternway. A constant axial minimum 1 Lock washer FAG MB26
load is thus ensured. Oil lubrication
Operating data
63a: Ship shaft thrust block 63b: Ship shaft thrust block housing 64a, b: Ship shaft thrust block
FAG BEHT.DRL110.1..... with FAG FKA94/600.1 FAG BEHT.DRL.200.1..... with
2 spherical roller thrust bearings 2 spherical roller thrust bearings 1 spherical roller thrust bearing
1 radial spherical roller bearing 1 radial spherical roller bearing

Diameter of thrust block shaft 110 mm 600/510 mm 200 mm

Power 320 kW 11,400 kW 1,470 kW
Speed 800 min–1 150 min–1 500 min–1
Thrust 55 kN 1,625 kN 170 kN
Forward motion 50 % 50 % 95 %
Sternway 50 % 50 % 5%

Bearings mounted 2 x FAG 29322E 1 x FAG 239/600B.MB.C3 1 x FAG 23140B.MB

2 x FAG 294/600E.MB 2 x 29340E

Lubrication Oil sump lubrication1) Oil sump lubrication1) Oil sump lubrication1)
Sealing Shaft sealing rings Shaft sealing rings Shaft sealing rings
1) Non-aging oil with pressure additives (viscosity 150 to 300 mm2/s at 40°C)

63a: Complete ship shaft thrust block FAG BEHT.DRL.110.1..... (SGA plummer block housing)

63b: Ship shaft thrust block with FKA flanged housing

64a: Complete ship shaft thrust block FAG BEHT.DRL.200.1..... (SGA plummer block housing)

64b: Complete ship shaft thrust block FAG BEHT.DRL.200.1..... (SUB pot-shaped housing)