Kazakhstan: TEXOL Group has opened an Independent Research and Testing Centre (INTC) within its Texol Industrial wagon-building cluster in Atyrau. The cluster already brings together the Atyrau Freight Car Building Plant (AVSZ), a wagon-wheel workshop and the KazTsTT engineering centre, and TEXOL is now building out wagon casting capacity there too.
The new centre runs on universal high-precision equipment that lets it bench-test freight wagons, locomotives and other railway equipment, checking their strength and performance. Longer term, the plan is to run certification tests on rolling stock and components against the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union (TR CU).
TEXOL launches testing centre for rolling stock in Atyrau. Source: TEXOL
At the heart of the centre sits a test bench for tension-compression testing of rolling stock. A separate bench with vertical loading capability handles static testing of freight wagon bogies, while another checks the strength of coupling devices by testing coupler yokes and coupler bodies.
At the TEXOL testing centre for rolling stock. Source: Administration of Atyrau Region
The lab also houses an optical emission spectrometer and a video measuring system that inspects V-notch and U-notch profiles on impact test specimens. Vickers hardness testing under low loads covers the metallographic work, and sample preparation runs through an electrohydraulic press for hot-mounting specimens in resin, a microprocessor-controlled grinding and polishing machine, a lathe and an automatic precision cutting machine. A pendulum impact tester rounds out the mechanical testing setup. TEXOL Group told ROLLINGSTOCK that a 3D test rig for static and cyclic testing will come online shortly.
At the TEXOL testing centre for rolling stock. Source: Administration of Atyrau Region
Ten specialists currently staff the centre, a number TEXOL expects to grow to 15-20 as testing volumes and the range of orders expand. The centre won’t serve TEXOL Group alone — other Kazakh manufacturers will be able to use its facilities too.
That makes the INTC Kazakhstan’s second railway testing centre. The first, the Kazakhstan Railway Transport Certification Centre, was built in Ekibastuz in 2013-2014. TEXOL Group founder Shota Abkhazava has previously told ROLLINGSTOCK that the company also plans two test rings and one test section, roughly 50 km in total, for running trials in Atyrau.
