prEN 18171
(Main)Railway applications - Railway Rolling stock - Digital Freight Automatic Coupler - Performance requirements specific interface geometry and test method
Railway applications - Railway Rolling stock - Digital Freight Automatic Coupler - Performance requirements specific interface geometry and test method
This European Standard specifies the requirements for the digital automatic coupler (DAC) for freight compliant with the Technical Specification relating to the subsystem ‘rolling stock — freight wagons’ of the rail system in the European Union Commission Regulation (EU) No 321/2013 of 13 March 2013 and repealing Decision 2006/861/EC and EU regulation 2019/776.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1302/2014 of 18 November 2014 concerning a technical specification for interoperability relating to the ‘rolling stock — locomotives and passenger rolling stock’.
This standard specifies the minimum interface requirements to allow automatic coupling (mechanical and pneumatic) of two digital automatic couplers. The standard further specifies the mechanical interfaces needed for the interoperability of electrical couplers. It does not cover the electrical contacts needed.
The standard covers the requirements for DACs integrated into locomotives.
Coupler-to-coupler interfaces for the Hybrid coupler solutions will be covered in this standard.
All non-mechanical interfaces such as the digital and electrical requirements needed for the DAC are defined in the scope of CENELEC/TC9X/WG 15-10.
Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Digitale automatische Kupplung für Güterwagen - Spezifische Schnittstellengeometrie und Prüfverfahren
Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaire - Coupleur automatique numérique pour le fret - Exigences de performance, géométrie spécifique de l'interface et méthode d'essai
Železniške naprave - Železniška vozila - Digitalna tovorna avtomatska spenjača - Zahteve za izdelavo posebne geometrije vmesnika in preskusna metoda
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-maj-2025
Železniške naprave - Železniška vozila - Digitalna tovorna avtomatska spenjača -
Zahteve za izdelavo posebne geometrije vmesnika in preskusna metoda
Railway applications - Railway Rolling stock - Digital Freight Automatic Coupler -
Performance requirements specific interface geometry and test method
Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Digitale automatische Kupplung für
Güterwagen - Spezifische Schnittstellengeometrie und Prüfverfahren
Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaire - Coupleur automatique numérique
pour le fret - Exigences de performance, géométrie spécifique de l'interface et méthode
d'essai
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 18171
ICS:
45.040 Materiali in deli za železniško Materials and components
tehniko for railway engineering
45.060.01 Železniška vozila na splošno Railway rolling stock in
general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
March 2025
ICS 45.060.01
English Version
Railway applications - Railway Rolling stock - Digital
Freight Automatic Coupler - Performance requirements
specific interface geometry and test method
Applications ferroviaires - Matériel roulant ferroviaire Bahnanwendungen - Schienenfahrzeuge - Digitale
- Coupleur automatique numérique pour le fret - automatische Kupplung für Güterwagen - Spezifische
Exigences de performance, géométrie spécifique de Schnittstellengeometrie und Prüfverfahren
l'interface et méthode d'essai
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 256.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 18171:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 5
Introduction . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 8
3.1 General terms . 8
3.2 Functional Levels (FL) . 10
4 Product requirements . 10
4.1 General. 10
4.2 Digital automatic coupler main characteristics. 11
4.3 Interfaces of digital automatic coupler to freight wagons . 13
4.3.1 Interface for existing wagons . 13
4.3.2 Pneumatic interface to the vehicle . 13
4.3.3 Electrical and data connection to vehicles . 13
4.3.4 Uncoupling / prevent recoupling from side of wagon . 13
5 Mechanical Coupler head requirements . 14
5.1 General. 14
5.2 Coupling conditions . 14
5.2.1 General. 14
5.2.2 Geometric requirements . 14
5.2.3 Mechanical coupling / coupled position . 14
5.2.4 Prevent coupling - Buff position . 15
5.2.5 Ready to couple . 15
5.2.6 Uncoupled position . 15
5.2.7 Pneumatic coupling. 15
5.3 Uncoupling conditions . 16
5.3.1 General. 16
5.3.2 Manual uncoupling fallback solution . 17
5.3.3 Manual uncoupling . 17
5.3.4 Automatic uncoupling . 17
5.4 Coupling status indicator . 17
6 Draft gear . 18
6.1 General. 18
6.2 Main characteristics of draft gear . 18
6.3 Force stroke characteristics . 22
6.4 Mechanical stroke indicator . 23
7 Shank and pivot point . 23
7.1 General. 23
7.2 Pivot point . 24
7.2.1 General. 24
7.2.2 Using UIC hook with pivot pin of DAC draft gear . 24
7.3 Shank for freight wagons . 25
8 Support and centering . 25
9 Electrical coupler . 25
10 Hybrid coupler Digital Automatic Coupler – Screw coupler . 26
10.1 General . 26
10.2 DAC mode . 26
10.3 Screw coupler system mode . 27
11 Test methods . 27
11.1 Routine testing . 27
11.2 Type test . 28
11.2.1 General . 28
11.2.2 Mechanical head and gathering range . 28
11.2.3 Manual uncoupling system. 28
11.2.4 Test of uncoupling under different temperature conditions . 28
11.2.5 DAC level 5 Actuator device . 29
11.2.6 Prevent coupling test . 29
11.3 BP valve and hose connection – Measurement of the pressure fall time . 29
11.4 Electrical coupler testing . 29
11.5 Strength test . 29
11.5.1 General . 29
11.5.2 Test principle . 29
11.5.3 Test procedure for static yield-strength test . 30
11.5.4 Tension load . 31
11.5.5 Compression load . 31
11.5.6 Test principle . 31
11.5.7 Fatigue test . 32
11.5.8 Nominal breaking force . 33
11.5.9 Vertical strength test . 33
11.6 Static test of draft gear elastic element characteristic . 34
11.7 Endurance test . 35
11.8 Test on track / Vehicle . 35
11.8.1 General . 35
11.8.2 Installation on wagon . 35
11.8.3 Operations .
...
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