Railway Industry

Smooth rail transport requires components that are designed for longevity, reliability and continuous use. Thanks to their unique combination of resistance, robustness and durability, WACKER silicones meet exacting demands.

WACKER silicones can be found in the interior and exterior of railway vehicles – for instance, in cables, bellows for connecting wagons, in door and window pane seals, or in electrical and electronic components of railway drive and control systems.

General Rubber Parts (Railway)

With ELASTOSIL^® R 771, WACKER offers a flame-retardant solid silicone rubber which complies with the new EU-wide fire-safety standard for railway vehicles, DIN EN 45545-2.

ELASTOSIL^® R 771 meets today’s fire-safety codes and enables the manufacture of vehicle components, also in high requirements classes. This means manufacturers will also be able to produce large-format bellows and profiles in compliance with the new fire-safety codes.

Most of the current fire safety requirements for railway vehicles, especially those subject to R22 and R23 requirement sets, can be met with certified solid and liquid silicone rubbers from the existing product portfolio.

Benefits:

Flame retardant
Low smoke toxicity
Peroxide-cure
DIN EN 45545-2 compliant

Applications:

Window seals for fitting and sealing window panes
Door seals
Bellows for connecting wagons

Traction Motors

WACKER developed the high-performance silicone resin SILRES^® H62 C especially for the impregnation of electric motor windings. The heat-curing, low-viscosity impregnating resin is liquid and free of solvents or reactive thinners. Applied by vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI), the electrical insulation resin reliably protects the electric motor winding from excessive vibration as well as moisture and environmental influences.

Additional potting of the slot exits and the electrical junction boxes with low-viscosity, flame-retardant silicone rubber reliably prevents moisture penetration. Together with a winding head coating of weather-resistant RTV silicone, our product solutions ensure a long service life and form an integral part of an electrical insulation system for drive motors that has proven itself worldwide for over 40 years.

Benefits:

Very high heat resistance
Optimized electrical insulation
Improved thermal management
Long-lasting protection against environmental influences and the effects of weathering

Applications:

Vacuum-pressure impregnation (VPI) of electrical windings in traction motors
Potting of slot exits
Potting of electrical junction boxes
Winding head coating

Electrical Components

Electrical equipment for railway vehicles requires special protection. Not only must the components be reliably protected against moisture, environmental influences and the effects of weathering, their functionality must remain intact for as long as possible in the event of fire. To this end, WACKER develops flame-resistant RTV silicones, which comply with the exacting demands of the European fire-safety standard for railway vehicles, EN 45545.

Benefits:

Flame retardant
Heat resistance
Good electrical insulation
Long-lasting protection against environmental influences and the effects of weathering

Applications:

Coating of windings
Coating of windings in small transformers
Coating of choke coils
Potting of electrical assemblies in the field of panthograph technology

Signaling

Delays are annoying. To avoid them, railway infrastructure systems such as signaling must be protected from disruptive influences. Irrespective of frost, heat, rain or wind, WACKER silicones help protect sensitive systems from failure in robust everyday operations. For example, our customized silicone gels can be found as encapsulation materials in track balises, while silicone elastomers and silicone foams are used to reliably seal assembly housings.

Benefits:

Long-lasting protection against moisture, environmental influences and the effects of weathering
Dissipation of thermomechanical stress by virtue of silicones’ characteristic flexibility
Self extinguishing
Good electrical insulation

Applications:

Potting of electrical components
Enscapsulation of electrical assemblies
Bonding and potting in the field of LED technology
Housing sealing

Brochures

Silicones for electro-technical railway applications

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