ABB traction motors for light rail vehicle (LRV)

Inner-city trams have low floors, making the vehicle accessible from street level without a platform. They run on a tight schedule with frequent starts and stops in urban environments.

The low floor reduces the available space for the traction motor, which is mounted close to the ground (down to 60 mm). The motor thus operates in a polluted environment involving dust, sand, salty air or debris.

A closed cooling concept is recommended to protect the motor’s sensitive components. However, its drawback is lower cooling performance, as rotor losses must be distributed to the external cooling through the stator.

ABB promotes closed cooling concepts (air/liquid) for inner-city trams. Our motors meet strict height demands. Using leading design software, we can minimize rotor losses and verify the motor’s thermal behavior given the actual mission pr ofile.

Suburban trams are typically high-floor LRVs, accessible via platforms at stops. Since the distance between stops is longer, the trams can run at higher average speeds, making selfventilated cooling concepts more favorable than with inner-city trams.

Trams operating in suburban areas often run on separate tracks – away from other traffic such as cars and buses – where there is less pollution. An open cooling concept can therefore be used, in which the rotor losses are more effectively dissipated.

The high floor solution provides a more generous space envelope for the motor and gearbox, making it possible to use less complex components.

For suburban trams operating on separate tracks, ABB offers open traction motors, which allow for a more demanding mission profile, a more compact motor – or both.