In an interview with the CFTS, Oleksandr Roslyk, the technical director of the Railway Products Division of Interpipe Industrial Group explains why rolled wheel centers remain scarce on the Ukrainian railway market, how they are better than cast wheel centers, and the rolling stock on which they are used.
During the VI International Conference "Production, Operation and Repair of Rolling Stock," Oleksandr Roslyk, the technical director of the Railway Products Division of Interpipe Industrial Group, gave a presentation on the company's capability to produce rolled railway wheel centers, the technological processes involved in their production, and the possibility of supplying the Ukrainian market with these products. The CFTS portal held detailed discussions with Roslyk about the problems related to the production of this railway product.
What types of wheel centers can Interpipe produce, and what are the characteristics of their production process?
Currently, the Ukrainian railway industry is facing a shortage of several types of products. These were previously produced by enterprises in the eastern regions of our country, which are either not operational under the current circumstances or are located in the war zone. One such product is wheel centers for locomotives.
Interpipe is well positioned to meet Ukraine's needs for wheel centers. In the mid-2000s, the company mastered the production and supply of rolled wheel centers with diameters ranging from 905 to 1073 mm for various locomotive rolling stock in countries such as India, Uzbekistan, the Baltic States, and others.
In addition to wheel centers for TE116 diesel locomotives and ChME3 shunting locomotives, can Interpipe manufacture this product for other locomotives?
We can produce wheel centers for the TE116 and ChME3 locomotives currently in operation on Ukraine’s railways. However, Interpipe does not currently produce rolled wheel centers for Ukrainian customers.
Are rolled wheel centers produced only for traction rolling stock, or can they also be used on railcars?
Rolled wheel centers are used for locomotives and certain types of suburban electric trains.
Why are rolled wheel centers better than cast wheel centers?
The technology for manufacturing rolled wheel centers is based on the process of pressure treatment of metals and is more modern than the technology for manufacturing cast wheel centers. Using the rolling technology improves the quality of the products and their performance.
Tight tolerances on the geometric parameters of the finished wheel center require high precision during production. This precision is first incorporated into the development of calibrations for press-rolling operations, which subsequently ensures higher geometric accuracy compared to cast wheel centers.
As a result of worldwide comparative studies, it has been established that the metal of rolled wheel centers is much less contaminated with non-metallic inclusions than the metal of cast wheel centers; the microstructure of rolled wheel centers is more homogeneous; the mechanical properties of the metal of rolled wheel centers are higher than those of the metal of cast wheel centers.
Therefore, the reliability and durability of wheel centers in operation depend on a set of properties and quality indicators imparted to them during the production process.
Per tradition, Interpipe took part in the InnoTrans international exhibition of rolling stock in Berlin this fall. What new products did the company exhibit in Germany that are worth mentioning?
Interpipe has developed the technology and started the production of locomotive wheels with a diameter of 1250 mm, as well as wheels for passenger trains for companies such as Alstom and Siemens.
However, this time our focus was on the "green" agenda. From our customers in the European Union, we receive many inquiries about what Interpipe is doing to reduce CO2 emissions and minimize the carbon footprint of railway products.
Therefore, in Berlin, we tried to convey to our customers that Interpipe is one of the leaders in decarbonization and that our CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the industry. The key message is that the company has already achieved the European Green Deal’s 2030 targets early.
In addition to the construction and launch of the modern electric steelmaking complex Interpipe Steel and the increase in its share of "green" electricity purchases, Interpipe has another unique competitive advantage over other manufacturers of railway products. Our raw-material processing and steelmaking facilities are on the same production site as our rolling and finishing lines for railway products. This ensures that our CO2 emissions are minimal, unlike our competitors who leave a much larger carbon footprint by purchasing steel and raw materials from third-party suppliers.
Speaking of electricity, do your facilities experience power outages during planned outages, and what share of your electricity do you import?
We are forced to comply with the new government regulation by ensuring that imported electricity represents at least 80% of the company's total electricity consumption to maintain stable and continuous operation of the production facilities. I would like to remind you that industrial consumers of electricity who comply with this regulation are exempt from planned restrictions by the state power company Ukrenerho.
Interpipe is a reliable supplier of railway products. Our international customers expect us to fulfill our contracts because no one abroad will stop trains simply because of power outages in Ukraine.
Last year, Interpipe specialists mastered the production of 24 wheel and axle sizes. What result do you expect in 2024?
The year 2024 has not yet ended, but we plan to develop and master the production of new products this year at the same pace as in 2023.
During the pandemic, when the borders were closed, Interpipe managed to organize online audits of wheel production. This experience came in handy when the full-scale Russian invasion began, as foreigners are unlikely to be keen to travel to a country at war, let alone a frontline region. Doesn't the online audit format make it difficult to attract new customers?
You are right, we already started conducting online audits of production facilities in 2020. But there is positive news: we have had our first customer visit since the beginning of the war. In November of this year, a representative of the European division of the Greenbrier Group, one of the world's largest railcar manufacturers, visited and inspected our facilities for producing steel billets, wheels, and wheelsets in Dnipro. He was the first European customer to visit Interpipe's facilities since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Therefore, we have high hopes that our other customers will follow suit.
