Safety First: REO-USA Details Extensive Railway Component Type Testing Standards at APTA EXPO
INDIANAPOLIS – Few if any other industries are subjected to the constant scrutiny and stringent standards faced by railway equipment and service providers. A myriad of international standards and norms designed to ensure passenger safety apply, making it imperative for railway firms to scrutinize component providers every bit as closely.
It's why APTA EXPO attendees need to visit the REO-USA booth (4300) October 13-15, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Along with reactors, resistors, transformers and other components designed for light rail and IC rail, as well as people movers, trolleys, hybrid and electric busses, REO-USA engineers and testing specialists can answer questions and provide full details on the company's product performance and safety testing program.
Every REO-USA railway component undergoes complete type testing in accordance with the EN 60310 standard, to fully verify and validate its design, reports Sr. Director of Engineering Rick Jones. Domestic testing capabilities and the industry norms and standards used by the company include:
• Acoustics measurement (EN 60076-10)
• Temperature testing (EN 45545 and IEC 60085)
• Partial discharge measurement (EN 50124)
•Â High potential and high-current tests (EN 61378 and 60076)
• Shock and vibration (per IEC 61373)
• Salt and mist (EN 50125-1)
• EMC testing for ability to control electromagnetic interference (EMI)
"Components submitted by a customer – frequency converters, for example – can be integrated with our specially fitted testing stations with their modular units," Jones said.
"Our Indianapolis facility is ISO 9001 certified," Jones points out, adding that REO-USA also carries IRIS certification via its Germany-based parent company. In addition, company products have been certified by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), and by European safety testing authority TUV in critical railway component areas such as;
• (UL) Insulating material systems in thermal classes F (155°C) and H ( 180°C)
• (UL and TUV)Â EMC filters, inductors and braking resistors
Numerous additional standards are also addressed by REO-USA's testing program, including critical fire protection under standard EN 45545. Virtually all tests are conducted at its 25,000 sq. ft. headquarters.
Testing and analysis, from fully functional prototype to manufactured component
"Essentially, we leave no stone unturned," Jones asserts, "in order to ensure extended lifetime performance along with assured safety for railway component customers."
In the case of products from REO-USA, it starts long before type testing. Rigorous testing of fully functioning prototype components utilizes advanced simulation techniques for key analyses, including:
• 3D magnetic field simulation – electromagnetic and thermal calculations based on
 three-dimensional finite-element method (FEM)
• FEM thermal simulation – looking inside the actual product to detect potential "hot
 spots" that could impact product performance and longevity
•Â FEM structural mechanics analysis – based on 3D CAD modeling, enabling accurate
 analyses of • static and dynamic linear and nonlinear stress • frequency • screw
 strength • welding seam calculation and more
Once all parameters have been satisfactorily met, components are deemed ready for manufacturing and type testing according to EN 60310, using the norms and standards detailed above.
"In short, there's no compromise in our safety testing systems and approach," Jones sums up. "Railway equipment and service providers can specify REO-USA components with confidence."
For the latest updates on REO-USA's booth at APTA, visit www.reo-usa.com.
