Trio To Take Centre Stage At Railtex

The first is a lighter weight, metallised current collector strip, based on proprietary material technology which has enabled the width of the strip to be increased by 40 per cent from 30mm to 42mm. This delivers a typical 35 per cent extension of product service life, in tandem with enhanced reliability, with negligible weight increase.

The collector strip also boasts an arc protection system, with an engineered coating applied to the metal, with the effect of drawing any arcing to the carbon strip – a key attribute, especially in wet and wintry conditions which can create a barrier to power transfer and result in localised overheating of the metal support carrier.

The arc protection system maximises collector strip life, reducing maintenance and running costs for rail contractors while delivering improved service performance to passengers as the collector strips require less frequent changing, drastically cutting downtime.

Also on display will be a new range of axle earthing units featuring an earth return brush holder system which is designed to better overcome the problems of vibration and system movement, and movement between the brush and shaft, that frequently reduce the quality of brush contact, and thus the performance of many current earthing units. The new Morgan unit uses a freshly-designed single piece casing, in contrast to previous composite designs, which along with the flange and brushes is insulated with a high-strength powder coating. This results in reduced movement between the brush box and shaft, improved brush-shaft contact, better system performance and lower maintenance costs. The unit can be fitted to new vehicles or retro-fitted as required.

Morgan’s MSPro14 surface profiler seamlessly integrates a range of cutting edge technologies and user-friendly features into one portable unit.

Accurately measuring and recording surface conditions of commutators and slip rings (including helical grooved), the MSPRo14 boasts a solid, easy-to-mount sensor that can be fitted to a wide range of holder sizes and can cope with extreme environments, including vibration. Offering rapid and simple set-up, it also has a responsive and user-friendly touch screen that is held within a robust housing.

It has been designed to help determine the cause of problems such as uneven or poor brush wear, chipped brushes, frayed flexes, under-brush sparking and system deterioration. The results it generates indicate the quality of the surface profile, and whether the component needs to be replaced or further fault diagnosis is required - helping to reduce downtime and maintenance costs by highlighting potential issues before complete failure can occur.

Helen Carey of Morgan explained: “Our Electrical Carbon business is an established partner to the world’s leading manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to the rail sector, thanks to our commitment to continuous innovation in material development and product design. Visitiors to Railtex will have the opportunity see at first hand just three of our latest innovations designed to reduce costly downtime and optimise overall performance and efficiency. We anticipate strong interest in all three of these technologies.”

For further information visit www.morganelectricalmaterials.com/products/electrical-carbon.