Glory Rail supplied custom bogie wheel assemblies, 30kg rails, hard-connected rail clamps, fishplates, and chemical anchor bolts to a Nigerian heavy industrial manufacturer for a brick kiln rail system. The project required cast steel wheels engineered to carry loads up to 544 tons across a 50-meter rail track running through and outside a furnace operating at 650 degrees Celsius. This case study covers the wheel design process, fastening system selection, and shipping from Tianjin to Onne Port.
Client Background
The client is a Nigerian company serving the oil and gas sector with comprehensive capabilities in heavy industrial manufacturing. Their core services span pressure vessel fabrication, process package (skid) assembly, subsea production equipment structures, large storage tanks, and offshore steel structures. The company provides end-to-end delivery from design and procurement through manufacturing to on-site installation.
For this project, the client needed a complete rail track system for a brick kiln at one of their industrial facilities. The kiln uses a bogie — a rail-mounted platform — that carries the furnace and bricks through the heating zone and extends outside for loading and unloading operations.
Kiln Bogie Application
The bogie operates on a rail track that runs approximately 25 meters inside the furnace and extends another 25 meters outside. Inside the kiln, the furnace design temperature reaches 650 degrees Celsius. However, the area beneath the bogie is open, meaning heat does not transfer directly to the wheels during normal operation. The bogie carries the furnace structure, refractory bricks, and a payload of approximately 100 tons, giving a total operating load of 150 tons.
Bogie Wheel Design and Specifications
Glory Rail manufactured 40 custom bogie wheel units to the client’s dimensional drawings. Each wheel was cast and machined to the following specification:
- Tread diameter: 381 mm (the running surface that contacts the rail head)
- Flange diameter: 419 mm (outer diameter including the flange)
- Flange height: 19 mm (the raised edge that prevents derailment)
- Total wheel width: 92 mm
- Tread working width: 53 mm (clear distance between the inner flange faces)
- Bore diameter: 75 mm (for axle fit)
- Flange root fillet radius: R5 (transition radius at the flange-to-tread junction)
The R5 fillet is a critical design detail. It creates a smooth radius at the point where the flange meets the tread, preventing stress concentration when the wheel flange contacts the rail edge during lateral movement. Without this radius, the sharp corner would be prone to cracking under cyclic loading, especially in a heavy-duty application carrying hundreds of tons.
Axle and Bearing Assembly
Each wheel was paired with a custom axle machined from 45# carbon steel, measuring 75 mm in diameter and 200 mm in length. The axle design includes machined slots at both ends for retaining hardware, with a 160 mm unslotted center section providing the bearing contact surface. The 40 bearing units were integrated into the wheel assemblies at the factory, ensuring proper fit and function before shipment.
Rail Track and Fastening System
The rail track used 30kg light rail supplied in two lengths: 40 pieces at 4 meters and 8 pieces at 4.75 meters. This rail profile weighs 30 kg per meter and is suited for industrial applications with moderate wheel loads.
The fastening system comprised three component types totaling over 1,100 pieces. 620 sets of hard-connected rail clamps were specified for this project because the high-temperature environment precludes the use of rubber-based components. Unlike standard rail clips that rely on elastomeric pads for vibration damping, hard-connected clamps use rigid metal-to-metal contact. This maintains consistent clamping force without degradation from heat exposure over time.
48 sets of fishplates were supplied for rail joints, along with 460 chemical anchor bolts (M12 x 160 mm) for securing the rail clamps to the concrete foundation. Chemical bolts were chosen over mechanical anchors for their superior pull-out resistance in the reinforced concrete base supporting the kiln track.
Load Capacity Engineering
The client’s initial requirement was a 150-ton operating load. However, they anticipated a future need to increase capacity to approximately 400 tons for transporting heavier cargo through the kiln. Glory Rail’s engineering team verified that the supplied cast wheels could accommodate this upgrade path.
Each wheel, equipped with its bearing, is rated for 17 to 25 tons of load capacity. With 40 wheels total across the bogie system (arranged as 20 pairs on two parallel rails), the aggregate load capacity reaches approximately 544 tons. This provides a 36 percent safety margin above the projected 400-ton future requirement, allowing the client to increase payload without replacing the wheel assemblies.
Packaging and Shipping
All components were packed and loaded at Tianjin Port in July 2023. Rails were secured along the container floor with wooden dunnage and steel lashing. Wheels, axles, bearings, and hardware were packed in wooden crates with internal bracing to prevent movement during ocean transport. The shipment was destined for Onne Port, Nigeria.
Why Glory Rail
This project demonstrates several capabilities that define Glory Rail’s approach to industrial rail system supply:
- Custom wheel manufacturing — 40 cast bogie wheel units produced to the client’s exact dimensional drawings with precise machining of tread, flange, and bore
- Application-specific fastening selection — hard-connected rail clamps chosen for high-temperature environments instead of standard rubber-based clips
- Forward-looking load engineering — wheel capacity verified for future 400-ton upgrade, providing 544-ton aggregate rating
- Complete system supply — wheels, axles, bearings, rails, clamps, fishplates, and anchor bolts sourced and shipped from a single supplier
Glory Rail manufactures custom crane wheels, including double-flange crane wheels and crane wheel bearings, for industrial rail applications worldwide. For projects requiring custom bogie wheel design or complete rail system supply, contact our technical team for drawing review and quotation.