BS EN 13979-1-2023 (2025) PDF

Full title and description

STB BS EN 13979-1-2023 (2025) — Railway applications. Wheelsets and bogies. Monobloc Wheels. Technical approval procedure. Part 1: Forged and rolled wheels. This document specifies the procedure and assessment criteria to obtain technical approval for forged and rolled monobloc wheels prior to their entry into service on European networks. It defines the information to be supplied by manufacturers and the assessments to be performed by approval authorities.

Abstract

EN 13979-1:2023 establishes a structured technical-approval procedure for forged and rolled monobloc wheels used on railway wheelsets and bogies. The standard requires definition of the intended application and then assesses wheel designs against four main aspects — geometric interchangeability, thermomechanical behaviour under braking, mechanical behaviour (including fatigue and exceptional loading), and acoustic performance relative to a reference wheel. The document explicitly excludes detailed assessment of hubs and rims (except where rim behaviour affects the assessments) and notes where additional requirements apply for wheels fitted with disc brakes, toothed transmissions or noise-reduction devices.

General information

• Status: Current / Active (EN edition 2023; adopted nationally in various countries).
• Publication date: European (EN) edition: 2023. National adoptions published 2024–2025 (BS adoption published as BS EN on 24 July 2025).
• Publisher: CEN (European Committee for Standardization); published nationally by adopters (example: BSI for BS EN).
• ICS / categories: 45.040 — Materials and components for railway engineering (also relevant to 45.060.x railway rolling stock categories).
• Edition / version: 2023 edition (supersedes EN 13979-1:2020).
• Number of pages: Approximately 67–68 pages (format-dependent).

Scope

This part of EN 13979 covers the technical approval procedure to be carried out before putting forged or rolled monobloc wheels into service on a European railway network. It defines parameters to describe the intended application and the wheel design, and it specifies assessment methods for interchangeability (geometry), thermomechanical response to braking and heat, mechanical behaviour including fatigue and resistance to permanent deformation under exceptional loads, and acoustic performance relative to a reference wheel. The scope is focused on non-powered tread‑braked wheelsets; where wheels carry disc brakes, transmissions, or special noise-reduction features, the standard allows for amendments or supplementary requirements. The standard does not provide a qualification test program for the hub or rim as separate components.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of application parameters: operational loads, service conditions, braking regimes and interchangeability criteria.
• Geometrical assessment: dimensions, tolerances and assemblies to ensure interchangeability with existing wheelsets.
• Thermomechanical assessment: evaluation of rim heating under braking, thermal expansion, residual stresses and crack‑propagation risk under normal and accidental braking scenarios.
• Mechanical assessment: strength and fatigue analyses for web and hub regions, verification against exceptional static load cases and endurance requirements.
• Acoustic assessment: comparative evaluation of rolling noise versus a reference wheel and requirements for noise‑mitigation measures where applicable.
• Documentation and technical‑approval dossier: information to be supplied by the manufacturer (drawings, material data, heat‑treatment records, calculations and test reports).
• Reference to wheel product requirements (for example EN 13262) for material grades, rim treatment and product qualification.
• Notes on special cases: wheels with disc brakes, toothed transmission wheels, resilient or noise-damped designs — may require supplementary evaluation.

Typical use and users

Primary users are wheel and wheelset manufacturers, rolling stock designers, railway vehicle OEMs, national approval bodies and conformity assessment organizations, testing laboratories, railway operators and maintenance engineers. The standard is used when introducing a new wheel design or material to demonstrate that the wheel is suitable and interoperable for the declared service and to obtain the necessary technical approval before commissioning.

Related standards

Commonly referenced and related documents include EN 13262 (Wheels — product requirements and steel grades), EN 13103 (design methods for axles), EN 15313 (in-service wheelset operation and maintenance), EN 13715 (wheelset maintenance and wheel reprofiling guidance), CEN/TS 13979-2 (technical approval procedure — Part 2: cast wheels / technical specification for cast monobloc wheels) and various national implementations and design guidance documents used by approval authorities.

Keywords

Monobloc wheels; forged wheels; rolled wheels; wheel approval; technical approval procedure; wheelsets; bogies; thermomechanical assessment; fatigue; rim hardening; wheel interchangeability; railway wheels; EN 13262; wheel design; acoustic assessment.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: EN 13979-1:2023 is the European technical‑approval procedure for forged and rolled monobloc railway wheels; the BS EN prefix denotes national publication (BS adoption) of the EN text.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the information to be supplied by manufacturers and the assessments required (geometric, thermomechanical, mechanical and acoustic) to obtain technical approval for using a wheel design on a European network. It does not replace wheel product‑level requirements (e.g., EN 13262) nor does it provide separate hub or rim qualification tests beyond what affects the approval assessments.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Wheel manufacturers, OEMs, design engineers, approval authorities, test laboratories, railway operators and maintenance organizations use the standard when introducing or approving wheel designs for service.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2023 edition is the current EN edition (it supersedes the 2020 edition). National adoptions of the EN text have been published by various national bodies in 2024–2025; the BS EN (British adoption) version was published in July 2025.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — EN 13979 is a multi‑part series. Part 1 covers forged and rolled wheels; Part 2 (CEN/TS 13979-2) addresses cast wheels (technical specification). The series complements product standards such as EN 13262.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Monobloc wheels, forged wheels, rolled wheels, wheel approval, technical approval procedure, wheelsets, bogies, thermomechanical, fatigue, rim hardening, EN 13262.