SKF railway bearings first to meet new European standard

SKF railway bearings first to meet new European standard SKF's railway axlebox with cylindrical roller bearings was the first to pass the 25 ton test according to the new European standard, EN - European Norm. EN is introduced to define the requirements on bearings for railway applications. For years, the trend in the railroad industry has been to carry higher loads at faster speeds. Today, most railway cars in Europe are built to run with axle loads of 22.5 tons. Increasing the axle loads to 25 tons requires new specifications and requirements on the bearings. The EN test performed at SKF in Schweinfurt were much tougher than the real running conditions in the field. The bearings have to run within a defined temperature range over a defined period of time. A significant part of the newly ordered freight cars will be built for 25 ton axle load. SKF has since long been a leading supplier of bearings to the train industry in Europe and worldwide. Göteborg, July 12, 2000 Aktiebolaget SKF (publ.) For further information, please contact: Lars G Malmer, SKF Group Communication, tel +46-31-3371541, e-mail: lars.g.malmer@skf.com Aktiebolaget SKF, SE-415 50 Göteborg, Sweden, tel: +46-31-3371000, fax: +46- 31-3372832, www.skf.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/07/12/20000712BIT00060/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/07/12/20000712BIT00060/bit0002.pdf