Green collaboration with Siemens
EMKA equips new train series of Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a subsidiary of the Siemens Group. Responsible for the international mobility business, it has been organised as an independent Siemens Mobility GmbH since 1 August 2018. Its business areas include the planning and construction of complete turnkey rail systems, the production of signalling and control technology as well as vehicles for rail transport and maintenance and services for the infrastructure.
Out of a total of 36,800 employees, about 4,400 work for the „Components“ division. They manufacture converters, pantographs, control systems, gearboxes, railway motors, bogies and braking systems for rail vehicles worldwide. For example, the classic ICE, Metro China and the Avenio hybrid tram in Doha all benefit from the manufacturer‘s innovative technology.
Siemens Mobility equips rail vehicles worldwide with important components to ensure that passengers on local public transport and interregional train journeys are transported in a comfortable and safe environment. Traction power con-verters and auxiliary power converters are responsible for power electronics and drive technology. Traction converters are used to generate the three-phase current for the drive motors from the respective traction current system of the overhead line or the conductor rail.
They are used in all applications and installation variants such as underfloor, roof-mounted and indoor. Auxiliary converters supply the entire power and voltage range in order to realise the on-board power supply for all train applications in a compact and highly efficient way. Important criteria of these components are their flexibility as well as their low weight and size.
This is where EMKA comes into play: for many years, Siemens Mobility has been working with the expert for locking technology on numerous projects in order to close the housings of the converters safely and in accordance with fire protection requirements. As a result, EMKA locking systems are used worldwide in vehicles for metro systems, for trams and light rail vehicles, for local and regional transport, in passenger coaches and also for intercity and high-speed transport.
Siemens relies on electricity and hydrogen
Siemens Mobility recently unveiled the concept of its new battery and hydrogen-powered trains. The completion of the first hydrogen train, the Mireo Plus H, is scheduled for July, the first battery-powered train, the Mireo Plus B, for November. Afterwards, both train series will go into test operation.
According to Siemens, the fleet of 31 Mireo Plus B and 7 Mireo Plus H trains is scheduled to enter service in the Berlin area in December 2024. Diesel consumption is expected to be reduced by 5.5 million litres and CO2 emissions by 14,500 tonnes. One Mireo Plus B is capable of carrying 282 passengers each, with seating for 127 passengers. The Mireo Plus H is designed to carry 279 passengers, with seating for 134. Both reach a top speed of 140 km/h with an acceleration of 1.1 m/s2. Furthermore, the vehicles will be equipped with traction systems with an output of 1.7 MW.
Flexible design and easy assembly
EMKA uses only materials for its locking systems that are certified according to the currently valid fire protection standards for rail vehicles. The product range includes locks and quarter turns for both the exterior and interior of rail vehicle construction. This means that they can be used for all positions of the converters on and in the train. The requirement: the user must be able to open and close the covers of the converters as quickly as possible. Depending on the design and number of vehicles, more or fewer inverters are needed. Depending on the project, EMKA therefore supplies Siemens Mobility‘s suppliers with thousands to tens of thousands of locks. These suppliers install the locks in the covers of the converter housings and deliver them to a Siemens Mobility site where the technology is installed. The decisive factor is the design of the EMKA quarter turns and the possibility of combining different cams. This allows adaptation to Siemens Mobility‘s geometry requirements. The internal cam can also be adjusted in depth.
Several tens of thousands of hybrid compression latches for the Mireo
Several thousand hybrid compression latches from EMKA will be installed in the Mireo programme. After a series of tests with products from numerous manufacturers, EMKA was awarded the contract with its hybrid compression latch.
The decisive factor: the innovative combination of safe and cost-effective use. The hybrid compression latch differs from the conventional version in particular by the housing, which is made of aluminium. The stainless-steel lock with aluminium housing scores points above all due to its high resistance to weathering.
Initial fears on the part of Siemens Mobility that the material combination of aluminium and stainless steel might not pass the fire protection test were quickly dispelled by EMKA.
Because in addition to its vibration and shock resistance, the lock is certified for fire protection according to DIN EN 45545-3 E20. Compared to a pure stainless-steel product, the hybrid model offers a low-cost alternative – even for areas with fire protection requirements. It also impresses with its compact design and high weather resistance, which is particularly important in the railway sector for the installation of converters, on the train roof or underfloor. Another plus point: the weight saving of up to 30 % resulting from the hybrid design is particularly advantageous for applications in the transport sector.