THE WHEEL set assembly, in particular the axle box, is a critical component for
cane bin reliability. The typical seasonal operating cycle of the wheel set
presents some challenges for the design configuration. There has been continual
development work on the wheel set since the introduction of the six tonne cane
bin in pursuit of higher reliability and reduced ownership costs. Design
improvements were explored with modelling work, laboratory testing, field
testing, field monitoring and grease sampling. The final result is a low
maintenance wheel set assembly that has been prototyped for three seasons with
a significant reduction in grease contamination. The reduced contamination
implies improved bearing assembly life. The improved bearing assembly
requires less frequent field greasing than previous wheel set designs. In future,
when greasing is required it is proposed to use a greasing robot for the duty. Due
to the obvious advantages of this design Invicta Mill is in the process of
replacing the bearing assemblies for their entire cane bin fleet. CSR has now
standardised on this high reliability/low life cycle cost cane bin wheel set for all
future wheel set orders.