The lightweight, stress-balanced BVV high-speed wheel

The new standard for smooth running and long-lasting culture

Lightweight, quiet and highly resilient due to the special design with its evenly distributed load over the entire wheel disc – the world’s most powerful and balanced high-speed wheel is manufactured in Bochum. The best German blacksmithing and engineering are the only crafts that meet the demanding requirements of the Chinese state railways for highest smoothness and the longest running times.

Light weight

Low weight due to the stress-balanced wheel disc with evenly distributed load over the entire wheel disc area

Low-noise

Reduced natural oscillation and noise emission due to stress-balanced form; additional sound absorbers ensure optimum sound absorber

Durable

Optimised long-lasting characteristics achieved through specially heat treated treads and mechanical anti-imbalance treatment with the lowest tolerances

High availability

Longest run times with minimal downtime due to high-tech materials

Variable

All wheels are individually manufactured in standard or special grades and in all common sizes

Easy to service

Wheel discs can be tested comfortably from the tread by means of ultrasound

Design principle of the BVV high-speed wheel

1
Stress-balanced wheel disc – The straight, particularly weight-saving design of the stress-balanced wheels is a BVV invention – It significantly reduces natural oscillation and noise emission and simplifies maintenance and service
2
Specially developed high-tech materials – Created using the tried and tested special steels of BVV – The specially developed ER8H based on ER8 with increased even hardness around the wheel circumference and in depth up to the wear line of at least 265HBW. – Of course, all BVV materials comply with the generally valid EN, JIS, AAR, GOST, UIC and TJ/CL276 standards
3
Individually optimised forging temperature – Exactly matched to the respective alloy, we set the optimal forging temperature – The many years of experience of our master blacksmiths and state-of-the-art technology ensure the longest service life, even under the most difficult conditions
4
Advanced Heat Treatment AHT – The outstanding long-lasting characteristics of our wheels are ensured by the special heat treatment (“Advanced Heat Treatment AHT”) – The strength of the treads, which is evenly distributed over the circumference, ensures in conjunction with the structure max-imum resistance and minimal wear
5
Mechanical optimisation – The setting of the NC machining centres to the smallest tolerances reduces imbalance and lack of roundness to a minimum in the micro range and ensures the well-known BVV long-lasting characteristics
6
Exemplary noise damping – Lightweight, highly efficient radial sound absorbers provide low unsprung masses and guarantee best damping characteristics and low rolling noise – They are also mainte-nance-free thanks to the tried and tested BVV special fastening
7
Variable dimensions – Wheel diameter from 840 to 1050 mm
8
Suitable for US-Service – The wheel disc is checked quickly and easily via the tread – The straight design of the wheel disc makes this process possible
9
Optimised for maintenance – Minimal tread damage and low-maintenance operation thanks to the BVV production pro-cess and material selection

Examples of current wheels and wheelsets

Example: Trailer wheelset

Trailer wheelset with two shaft brake discs for high-speed traffic in standard gauge design.

  • Stress-balanced wheels
  • Wheels pressed on molybdenum-coated wheel seats of the axle for multiple and material-friendly on and off pressing
  • Weight-saving hollow shaft fracture mechanics with optimised design of the shaft according to state-of-the-art science and technology for long NDT test intervals
  • Axle and wheels can be easily checked via ultrasonic tests
  • Maintenance-free radial sound absorber
  • Corrosion and impact protection of the axle, highly effective against external damage, e.g. by flying ballast

Our offer: Individual wheelsets, wheels and wheelset axles according to your needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your specific requirements!

Example: Driving wheelset

Driving wheelset with wheel brake discs and with an axial drive in the standard gauge design for high-speed traffic

  • Driving wheel set with wheel brake discs and with axle-riding drive in standard gauge design for high-speed traffic
  • Stress-balanced wheels with wheel brake discs bolted in the area of the wheel disc
  • Wheels pressed on molybdenum-coated wheel seats of the axle for multiple and material-friendly on and off pressing
  • Weight-saving hollow shaft
  • Optimised fracture mechanics of the axle according to state-of-the-art science and technology, for long NDT test intervals
  • Axle and wheels can be easily checked via ultrasonic tests
  • Corrosion and impact protection of the axle against external damage, e.g. by flying ballast

Our offer: Individual wheelsets, wheels and wheelset axles according to your needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your specific requirements!

UltraDur ER8H:  265HBW hardness around the wheel tread

The world’s leading high-speed wheel for smooth running and mileage, based on the new UltraDur ER8H material, was developed jointly with one of our OEMs. The requirement profile for use in China was demanding: Speeds up to 380 km/h, temperature fluctuations from -40 ° C to + 45 ° C, humidity up to 95%, resistance to strong winds, rain, snow and acid rain, sandstorms, salt spray etc.

The new UltraDur ER8H high-speed wheels meet all these requirements by increasing the hardness to at least 265HBW evenly around the wheel circumference and in-depth up to the wear line. Of course, it also complies with the demanding material characteristics such as strength and notch impact energy in the wheel flange and fillet as well as the customer’s metallographic specifications regarding microstructure, degree of purity and grain size.

The partially contradictory requirements, e.g. hardness and notch impact, cannot be met without outstanding expertise in the areas of material development and heat treatment. These represent the core competencies of BVV.  This is one of the reasons why we are the only ones in the world that have proven the ability to meet Chinese requirements.

Good news for customers around the world who are looking for smooth running and good mileage during high-speed transportation!