Screwed and bolted joints are often used to assemble safety-critical components on rail vehicles. The function of a bolted joint is to connect two or more parts in a sufficient and safe manner over the intended service life under the conditions of the railway environment. Bolted joints have huge implications for the safety of railway equipment: on the mechanical level, they are designed to transmit forces between the connected components without failure, separation or relative movement. On the electrical level, they are designed to ensure current transmission between electrical conductors safely and without separation or relative movement.
EN 17976:2024 sets out key considerations for the design and assembly of such joints, based on an assessment of their criticality. This new standard, developed by CEN/TC 256 ‘Railways applications’, describes the safety categories of bolted joints and gives an overview of the resulting requirements linked to these safety categories. It provides requirements for assembly, quality and maintenance and gives guidance on the selection and design of bolted joints for rail vehicles in mechanical and electrical applications.
The application of this new standard results in an appropriate safety level for bolted joints in railway applications considering the design, assembly and service phases.
EN 17976:2024 is an important contribution of CEN/TC 256 ‘Railways applications’ to the standardization of the assembly of components on rail vehicles, and it will ease the life of railway manufacturers.
The Secretariat of CEN/TC 256 is held by DIN, the German Standardization Institute.
