Mobile Grinding

Pioneer in preventive rail maintenance

Rail grinding is the oldest rail maintenance method, which has been continuously developed over the past 50 years and is now one of the most widely used processing methods in the international mainline railway sector. At the beginning of the 2000s; when head checks – fine, closely spaced cracks that occur primarily on the running edge due to rolling contact fatigue – became a problem for network operators, Vossloh paved the way for a preventive maintenance approach with its patented High Speed Grinding (HSG) technology.

In a preventive maintenance strategy, the regular application of controlled artificial wear is intended to prevent the emergence of defects at their inception. Regular removal of the wafer-thin, hardened surface prevents crack initiation and the resulting squats or head checks. Serious rail defects, which would otherwise only be possible to eliminate with a much higher amount of material removal, thus become a rare exception. The ideal preventive maintenance interval depends, among other factors, on the load conditions in the respective track section. More frequent but minimal artificial wear preserves the wear reserve and enables a longer rail service life.

Maintenance during scheduled service

Numerous network operators around the globe rely on the unique advantages of High Speed Grinding (HSG) – whether on mainline or high-speed routes or in local and regional transport. With processing technology capable of speeds of up to 80 km/h, Vossloh is offering preventive rail maintenance during scheduled service for the first time, eliminating the need for track closures.

smart HSG-2

is a diagnostic and grinding tool in one, designed to efficiently maintain high-performance networks

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smart HSG-city

collects data on the condition of rails in urban networks for targeted maintenance and effective noise prevention

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Flexis System

is the all-inclusive package for sustainable rail and turnout maintenance

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Tests passed with flying colors

In the smart configuration, it features integrated sensors for performing transverse and longitudinal profile measurements and detecting cracks using eddy currents. The smart HSG-2 grinding train measures and grinds on heavily used lines in the German high-performance network; since 2019, the technology has been officially recommended by the Chinese Ministry for the maintenance of PDLs and is used here for prevention, new rail surface treatment, and reprofiling.

For quiet rails in urban environments

since 2013, HSG-city has been the solution for noise reduction through corrugation removal for local transport network operators. Whether purchased or used as a service – with or without sensor technology for rail condition monitoring – the compact grinding machine is now in use in more than 40 countries across four continents.

Excellent addition for switch processing

Turnouts are among the critical points that can cause a significant share of irregularities. Therefore, efficient and high-quality turnout maintenance is of utmost importance for scheduled and safe operation. Flexis is Vossloh's all-round system for maintaining complete turnouts throughout their entire life cycle.

Thanks to their high flexibility, handheld grinding machines are also suitable for the rapid ad hoc removal of isolated rail defects or for processing very short track sections. Since they can be paused at any time, scheduled line operations can continue undisturbed – depending on network-specific regulations.

Preventively maintained rails last longer