Sona Comstar serves as the primary supplier of hydraulic dampers to the Indian Railways, a component of significant operational importance.
Locomotive Dampers
For WAG 9H, WAP 5, WAP 7 & Diesel Locomotives
Designed for high-performance rail applications, our locomotive dampers support operations at speeds of up to 160 km/h with axle loads ranging between 19.5 to 22.5 tonnes. These advanced 3-phase electric locomotives are equipped with a combination of vertical, lateral, and yaw dampers, ensuring optimal dynamic stability.
Working in close coordination with the primary and secondary suspension coil springs, these dampers effectively absorb shocks, control vibrations, and minimize lateral forces. This integrated damping system ensures enhanced ride comfort, improved stability, and reliable performance during long-distance operations across demanding track conditions.
- • Vibration Control: Efficient reduction and absorption of vibrations and shocks
- • Enhanced Stability: Improved wheel–track interaction for superior operational performance
- • Robust Design: Durable construction ensuring long-term reliability and consistent performance
- • Improved Ride Quality: Supports smoother and more stable rail movement
- • Ride Comfort & Stability: Enhances passenger comfort and operational stability
- • Application Suitability: Ideal for high-speed rail applications
- • Performance-Oriented Design: Engineered for safety, reliability, and superior ride performance
a) Axle Damper
Sona Comstar’s Axle Dampers are precision-engineered to effectively minimize vibrations and dynamic forces at the wheelset level. By enhancing wheel–track interaction and improving operational stability, they play a critical role in delivering safer, smoother, and more reliable railway performance.
b) Secondary Vertical Damper
Sona Comstar’s Secondary Vertical Dampers are specifically engineered to absorb vertical forces and vibrations, ensuring balanced movement and enhanced ride dynamics. Their reliable performance plays a crucial role in maintaining locomotive stability while minimizing stress on critical railway components, contributing to a smoother and more controlled journey experience.
c) Secondary Horizontal Damper
Sona Comstar’s Secondary Horizontal Dampers are engineered for superior vibration control and ride stability, playing a vital role in enhancing passenger comfort and ensuring smooth railway operations. Designed for durability, consistency, and extended service life, these dampers effectively absorb vertical shocks generated during high-speed operations and varying track conditions.
d) Yaw Damper
Sona Comstar’s Yaw Dampers are designed to enhance directional stability by effectively controlling lateral oscillations between railway coach components during high-speed operations. Their robust engineering ensures safer travel, smoother transitions, and improved passenger comfort, making them essential for modern high-performance rail systems.
ICF Conventional Passenger Coaches
- • Secondary Vertical Damper (Capacity: 600 Kgf)
- • Secondary Vertical Damper (Capacity: 900 Kgf)
- • Effective absorption of vertical shocks
- • Improved ride comfort and smoothness
- • Compact, durable, and reliable design
- • Engineered for consistent and long-term performance
LHB Coach Trainsets
Dampers for “Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto & Amrit Bharat Coaches”
Designed for high-speed passenger operations, LHB coach trainsets used in Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, and Amrit Bharat trains operate at speeds of up to 160 km/h, with axle loads in the range of 16–17 tonnes. These modern coaches are equipped with advanced LHB bogies, incorporating vertical, lateral, and yaw dampers to ensure superior dynamic performance.
Working in conjunction with coil springs and secondary air suspension systems, these dampers effectively absorb shocks, suppress vibrations, and minimize lateral forces. This integrated suspension and damping arrangement ensures enhanced ride comfort, improved stability, and operational reliability, particularly during high-speed, long-distance travel across varying track conditions.
- • Primary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Lateral Damper
- • Yaw Damper
EMU, MEMU & DMU Trainsets
Air Spring Suspension Bogie Damper for EMU, MEMU & DMU
EMU, MEMU, and DMU trainsets, widely used for suburban and short-distance operations, are designed to operate at speeds of up to 110 km/h with axle loads of approximately 20.3 tonnes. These trainsets typically employ ICF-designed bogies equipped with an advanced combination of hydraulic dampers in the primary suspension and vertical and lateral dampers in the secondary air spring suspension system.
This integrated damping arrangement plays a critical role in absorbing shocks, controlling vibrations, and maintaining dynamic stability, particularly under conditions of frequent acceleration and braking. As a result, it ensures enhanced ride comfort, passenger safety, and reliable performance in demanding suburban service environments.
- • Vertical Damper (Capacity: 200 - 900 Kgf)
- • Lateral Damper (Capacity: 100 - 400 Kgf)
Vande Bharat Trainsets
Dampers for Train-18 Coaches
Train-18, designed and developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), represents India's first semi-high-speed, self-propelled trainset. It is designed to operate at speeds of up to 180 km/h, with an axle load of approximately 17 tonnes.
These modern trainsets feature advanced bolster-less bogies, engineered by ICF, and are equipped with a combination of vertical, lateral, and yaw dampers to effectively manage dynamic forces generated during high-speed operation. Working in synergy with the suspension system, these dampers play a critical role in controlling vibrations, enhancing ride comfort, and ensuring superior stability and safety.
- • Primary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Lateral Damper
- • Yaw Damper
a) Primary Vertical Dampers
The Primary Vertical Damper in Vande Bharat Express is a critical hydraulic shock absorber integrated within the primary suspension system, located between the wheelsets and the bogie frame.
Its primary function is to dampen vertical vibrations and oscillations generated at the wheel–track interface, ensuring smooth transmission of forces to the bogie structure. This results in enhanced ride stability, improved passenger comfort, and safe operation at high speeds.
b) Secondary Vertical Dampers
The Secondary Vertical Damper in Vande Bharat Express is a critical hydraulic shock absorber installed within the secondary suspension system, positioned between the coach body and the bogie frame.
Its primary role is to effectively dampen vertical vibrations and oscillations, preventing excessive coach body movement and ensuring superior ride quality. This enables safe, smooth, and comfortable passenger travel at operating speeds of up to 160 km/h.
c) Secondary Lateral Dampers
The Secondary Lateral Damper in Vande Bharat Express is a critical component of the secondary suspension system, positioned between the bogie frame and the train undercarriage (coach body).
Its primary function is to control and restrict side-to-side (lateral) movements and high-speed oscillations, ensuring superior ride quality, enhanced passenger comfort, and stable train operation— particularly during high-speed runs and on curved tracks.
d) Yaw Dampers
The Yaw Dampers used in Vande Bharat Express trains are critical secondary suspension shock absorbers designed to control dynamic lateral behaviour of the bogie.
Their primary function is to suppress hunting (sinusoidal) oscillations, ensuring that the wheels remain properly aligned with the track. This significantly enhances ride stability, passenger comfort, and structural safety, especially during high-speed operations.
- • Rubber disc
- • Rubber flange type mountings
- • Spherical block/silent block type mountings
- • Articulated bearing type mountings
- • Bonded/ Non bonded rubber sleeves with Steel bush mountings
- • 100 Kgf- 2500 kgf at up to 0.6 m/s velocity max.
- • Low speed (0.01 m/s min) and high Force (upto 2000 kgf) for YAW damper type applications.
- • Multi speed characteristics
- • Max. extended length 1100 mm
- • Min. compressed length 200 mm
- • Comstar Hydraulic dampers give extended intervals of overhaul, hence lower maintenance cost.
- • Servo Hydraulic Performance cum Endurance Testing Machine
- • Damper strength testing machine
- • Vibration testing Machine
- • Primary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Vertical Damper
- • Secondary Lateral Damper
- • YAW Damper
- • Extremely long service life (special rod guide bush & non-metallic wear rings)
- • Robust construction (forged eyes, induction hardened piston rods)
- • Easy and simple to overhaul
- • Designed for easy and trouble free maintenance and can be reconditioned on site. Sona Comstars has assisted many railways in setting up reconditioning shops.
- • Sona Comstars also supplies complete kit for reconditioning of Hydraulic Dampers including Testing Equipment, Tooling and Fixtures required for reconditioning.