Abstract:
Reduction in the mass of railway rolling stock is considered as the most important
factor in minimising the energy consumption and associated track maintenance
costs that ultimately reducing the. whole-life cycle cost of rail vehicles. These mass
reductions can be achieved by integrating polymer composites into structural
components (roof, sidewall, cabs, cantilever seats, intermediate vehicle ends and
underfloor propulsion battery cases, etc.) of the existing railway car body
structures.
Analysis of the literature suggests that there were several attempts to use composite
materials for producing rail car body structures since late 1970's. However none of
these projects were able to develop the required technology for manufacturing
exterior body structures suitable for the current rail industry and market
requirements. Different reasons were cited for the lack of uptake, with the most
common being the inability to meet the existing fire-safety regulations without
compromising the mechanical performance (impact and fatigue) and the higher
cost of composites. For addressing the current barrier of higher cost associated with
composite integration, it is important to encourage life cycle cost assessment based
design methodology for rail vehicle structu res.
