Modification for Fitment

With steel spring

With air spring

Modification for Fitment

Installed at
Secondary Stage.
A FIXED lower
spring beam used
in place of
standard bolster
suspension
arrangement.
Primary springs
made stiffer.

Working Principles

The height monitoring valve (called

leveling valve) actuates as per changing
loads on vehicle,

Either getting the compressed air pressure to

the rubber bellow or
Releasing air pressure from bellow to
atmosphere.
The process continues until the original height
is restored.

Working Principles

Normal Condition
No flow of air

Working Principles

Loaded Condition
From Reservoir to bellow

Empty Condition
From bellow to atmosphere

Main Equipments of the System

Air Spring

Leveling Valve

Installation Lever

Duplex Check Valve

Air Spring

Contitech make

Firestone make

Air Spring

Codal life expected : 16 Yrs.

Manufacturers

M/s Contitech/Germany

M/s Firestone

SIL, Kolkata

Asika Commercial Pvt. Ltd, Kolkata.

Main Parts of Air Spring (Fig. of

Firestone Make)
TOP PLATE

BID SKIRT

RUBBER BELLOW

EMERGENCY SPRING
BID RING

PADESTAL
ASSEMBLY
BASE PLATE

Main Parts of Air Spring

Spigot

Emergency Spring

Part of top plate which connects the air path

for bellow from bolster. Two o rings are
provided on this spigot.
Made by layers of metal and rubber. The
coach rests on this spring when there is no
air, i.e. deflated condition.

Bellow

Main Parts of Air Spring

(FirestoneFittedMake)
on pedestal assembly by

Emergency spring:

rubber with metallic plate at both

Holes for fixing
ends
pedestal assembly

4 M10 bolts with 40 kgm torque.

Rubber

Metal Plate

Main Parts of Air Spring

(Firestone Make)

Emergency Spring

This spring is capable of safety carrying the

affected vehicle (either fully or partially
loaded) for minimum 1000km at speed of at
least 60KMPH under normal operating
conditions without suffering any self damage
or any further damage to the air spring which
will make them unfit for the further use.
This situation may arise occasionally in the
service of the air springs.

Cleaning & maintenance of Air

Spring

Rubber products can be cleaned with

soap and warm water.
The cleaned articles should be dried at
room temperature.
After a fairly long period of storage (6 to 8
months) the products can be cleaned with
a 1.5% sodium bicarbonate solution.
Remaining traces of the cleaning fluid
should be rinsed off with water.

Cleaning & maintenance of Air

Spring

Solvents such as trichloroethylene, carbon

tetrachloride as well as hydrocarbons
must not be used for cleaning purposes.
Sharp-edged objects, wire brushes, emery
paper etc. should not be used.
Rubber- metal bondings are to be cleaned
using a glycerin-spirit mixture (1:10).

Tools and components for Air

Spring

Screws,

Lever,

Hammer,

Torque spanner,

Plastic stick,

Loctite 243.

Cloth.

Levelling Valve

Levelling Valve

Mounted on
bolster.
Heart of the
system.
Its link is
connected with
installation lever.
It has three

Dead Band Zone

Levelling Valve

Charging mode

Discharging mode

From Reservoir

From
bellow
To bellow

To atmosphere

DETAILS WORKING OF
LEVELING VALVE
FROM 150 LTRS.
EXTERNAL LOAD

RESERVOIR

BOLSTER

INCREASED
DECREASAED

AIR SPRING BELLOW

BOGIE FRAME

Installation Lever

Fitted between link

of Leveling valve
and bogie frame.
The ball and
socket joint at both
ends are provided
to give flexibility.
Left and Right
hand threads are
there at its either

Duplex Check Valve

Descriptions:

Fitted between two

air springs of the
same bogie.
Pressure
differential on DC
valve is set at
1.5+0.15 bar.
Allows air to flow in
either direction
when pressure

Duplex Check Valve Detail operation

AIR SPRING

P2

P1
DUPLEX CHECK VALVE
(P 1 P2) (1.5 0.15) kg/cm2

Duplex Check Valve Detail operation

AIR SPRING

P2

P1
DUPLEX CHECK VALVE

(P 2 P1) (1.5 0.15)

kg/cm2

Duplex Check Valve

Maintenance

No schedule maintenance required between POH.

During POH functional testing to be done.

OVH after 03 yrs

Infrastructure for Mtc

Open line/ POH

Tools

Test eqpt

Gauges

Testing+Rejectable parameters

failure during run

Spares

Warranty claims

Available Guidelines from

RDSO

CMI- 9802 (rev.1) May 2001 and CMI- 9802 (re

Feb 2008 on Maintenance Instructions on
Air Suspension for DC, Ac & AC-DC
EMU/HHP DMU Coaches.
CMI- RDSO/2009/CG/CMI-01 Sep.2009
on Maintenance Instructions on Air
Suspension for Mainline Rajdhani
Coaches with ICF Bogie
C-K509 (rev.0) Aug 2005, C-K509 (rev.1)
Jan 2008 and C-K509 (rev.2) Sep 2008 on

Operating Instruction

Maintain 7 bar pressure in compressor.

In case of heavy leakage of air from air
spring system,

isolate the affected bogie and observe speed

restriction

at 50 kmph for DC, AC &AC-DC EMU/HHP DMU

COACHES (CMI-9802-rev.2) and

at 60 kmph for Mainline Rajdhani Coaches with

ICF Bogie (CMI- RDSO/2009/CG/CMI-01) up to
the terminal point for maintenance.

Dismantling of AS from LS
Beam & Bogie Bolster

Remove All Body, Bogie connections.

Remove duplex check valve from bolster.

Remove lateral & vertical shock absorber.

Remove equalizing rod connection from

both ends of lower spring beam if
provided.
Remove connection of levelling valve &
installation lever.
Remove all 6 or 4 No. Bolts and nut with

Measurement and readings

for hybrid coaches

Inspection & Maintenance

Air spring

Inspect for any water collection in rubber

bellow of air spring
Inspect the air spring for any damage or
leakage.
Inspect air spring seat and top plates for
corrosion, if corrosion noticed is paint with
primer & black paint

LS beam

Maintenance Instructions

Tightened the lock nut of installation lever

after adjustment spring height/clearances.
Provide a safety plate for leveling valve to
avoid stone hitting etc.
Ensure that all the fasteners are properly
tightened.
Check the leakage of all air joints and
rectify if required.
Ensure that installation lever is in position

Leakage Testing

Connect hosepipes on under frame piping

with levelling valves.
Connect pressure gauges to 150-litre
reservoir.
Provide packing in the gap between
bolster & bogie frame.
Connect the 150-litre reservoir to the
source of pressure.
Allow air in air springs to 9.0 kgf/cm2 by

THANK YOU