Loctite brand adhesives from Henkel are being used for a range of applications on trams designed to be in service for up to 35 years. Trams have been a familiar sight in European cities for some time, and now locations within the UK are increasingly looking into this mode of transport. Like all forms of public transport, however, these must maintain a viable and reliable service. The most recent model from Zagreb based Konkar Electric Vehicles (Kon_ar Elektri_na Vozila) – the TMK2200 – is produced with the help of Loctite brand adhesives.
As well as looking attractive, the trams need to work day in, day out. In Zagreb, for example, the trams transport more than 200 million people a year, need to be in service for up to 35 years, and for each tram only 5% of repair and maintenance time is allowed. Reliability is therefore essential.
The wheels of a public tram need to sustain loads of up to 60 tons, so each component of those wheels must be safely locked and secured in place, and this is both a delicate and demanding task. Firstly, the twelve radial bolts are cleaned with Loctite 7063; then Loctite 243 anaerobic threadlocking adhesive is applied to the threads and the bolts are tightened to hold the wheel firmly in place.
The next step in the assembly process involves locking the earthing wire bolts. Each wheel consists of three segments, the inner part being made of rubber. In order to earth the tram, a bypass made of wire is necessary and this is important both from a technical and a safety issue. High Strength Loctite threadlocker 2701 is applied here to provide maximum vibration resistance on the stainless steel bolts.
Medium strength 243 is also used for the locking of studs at the gearbox housing. After cleaning the parts, Koncar technicians apply the threadlocker to secure six studs that are mounted on to the gearbox body. These have the critical task of holding the oscillating arms safely attached to the gearbox.
In the same way that the TMK2200 has become a landmark of Zagreb, so the Loctite brand has become a synonym for reliability, a symbol for the progress of adhesive technology, explains the company.
