Railway Air Reservoir per TB/T 1900-2016: Material, Manufacturing and Factory Inspection Requirements

Railway Vehicle Air Reservoirs per TB/T 1900-2016: Material, Manufacturing and Factory Inspection

TB/T 1900-2016 is China's railway industry standard for railway vehicle air reservoirs. It sets out the material, manufacturing and factory inspection requirements that a qualified reservoir must meet, giving manufacturers and buyers a clear, consistent quality benchmark.

1. Material Requirements

For steel reservoirs, the heads and cylinder body should use materials specified in GB 150.2-2011. Freight cars should preferably use the stainless steel material of TB/T 3462, or another material that meets the performance requirements. For aluminium reservoirs, the heads and cylinder body should use magnesium-based aluminium alloy plate as specified in ISO 209:2007 or JB/T 4734; the preferred grades are listed below.

The pipe seats and drain seats must use a material of equivalent strength to the heads and body, or one meeting the service requirements. Attachments welded to the reservoir must match the reservoir's material grade, be easy to weld and must not reduce its strength; welding filler materials must match the base material.

2. Manufacturing Requirements

A reservoir is generally formed by welding together the heads, the cylinder body, the drain seat, and the pipe seats or flanges. It is classified into single-chamber and multi-chamber types, with threaded or flange interfaces.

• Weld placement: no longitudinal weld is allowed in the lower part of the body within 30° on both sides of the vertical axis, and the angle between two longitudinal welds on the same body must exceed 40°. The body should be made from seamless pipe or a single welded steel plate; in special cases two plates may be joined.
• Weld quality: cracks, lack of fusion and incomplete penetration must not appear; undercut, shrinkage groove and root concavity are limited to h ≤ 0.05e and ≤ 0.5 mm; spatter, grinding and chisel marks must be ground smooth and pass thickness and crack checks (h is the defect dimension, e is the wall thickness).
• Non-destructive testing: for passenger cars and multiple units, radiographic testing must meet Grade II of NB/T 47013.2-2015, magnetic particle testing Grade I of NB/T 47013.4-2015, and penetrant testing Grade I of NB/T 47013.5-2015. Repairs at the same location should not exceed two.
• Anti-corrosion: after welding and testing, oil, scale and slag are removed. Carbon steel reservoirs are phosphated per GB/T 6807-2001 (film at least 5 µm or 7.5 g/m²). The outer surface is coated with primer and topcoat, and paint adhesion must pass a cross-cut test per GB/T 9286, at least Grade 1.

3. Factory Inspection Requirements

Before delivery, every reservoir must pass factory inspection, which covers the following items together with their technical requirements and test methods.

• The internal weld of the cylinder body must be sampled at a rate of not less than 1% of each batch of reservoirs.
• Factory inspection is required only for reservoirs used on passenger cars and multiple units; the first article of each production batch must be inspected, and sampling must reach a rate of not less than 1%.

By combining approved materials, careful manufacturing and strict factory inspection, TB/T 1900-2016 helps ensure that every air reservoir delivers safe, reliable braking performance. Contact us today to discuss your railway air reservoir requirements and receive a tailored solution.