Life endurance testing of rubber springs

Rubber springs for railway bogies are important components for comfort and ride dynamics and have to meet special reliability requirements. Generally the proof of the endurance for new articles is only possible by means of single- or multiaxial component tests. For this original component loads, which are highly representative for the real vehicle service, have to be determined and then transformed into test signals. The sophisticated life endurance properties of rubber springs as well as economic aspects have to be considered in a particular manner. The wheelset guiding bushes of the ICE II high speed trailer bogies are taken as reference to explain the typical elements of a life evidence procedure. In the present contribution the emphasis is put on the measuring of three-dimensional deflection signals during vehicle operation, the test signal design for multiaxial component testing and two different methods for an efficient statistical life evidence procedure.