By

Sunil Saini Varun

Chugh

Contents

Why Composites Light Weight Fire Safety Crashworthiness

Applications Bodywork Seats Driver’s Cabin Stabilization of Ballasted Rail Tracks Doors JuteGlass JuteCoir Sleepers for Railway Girder Bridges Gear Case

Why Composites?

Light Weight

Lighter vehicles would benefit in two ways: Yield capacity increases by:

Providing increased payload (e.g. the full-utilisation of double-deck capacity without exceeding axle load limits)

Reducing the detrimental effect of an increased service on the existing railway

Lighter vehicles would reduce running costs

Weight savings of around 20%

Fire Safety

Thermosetting polymer resins on which the majority of rail vehicle composites are based are organic and hence burn

Aluminium hydroxide- filled polyester resin

Phenolic resins CNTs as reinforments

Crashworthiness

Composite vehicle structures ought to be capable of dissipating more of the kinetic energy associated with a collision than a conventional metallic design

Honeycomb crushes under load in a uniform way, preventing damage to the

supporting structure energy absorption can be as high as 50 kJ/kg

Applications

FRP Pultruded Profiles•Windows, ladders, Doors, luggage racks

Bodywork

Fibrocom surface laminates are connected to each

other by intermediate wall laminates, forming a rigid three-dimensional

structure with load carrying capacity The channels can be filled with foam

to provide thermal and sound isolation.

Fire safety is ensured by a suitable selection of resins and fire retardants

Seats

Three‐dimensional tailored textile preforms

Allows Fast Automatic Low cost production

Moulding processes such as RTM are used

Driver’s Cabin

Vibration dampening Noise attenuation Heat insulation

Stabilization of Ballasted Rail Tracks Bonded geo grids geotextiles are

used Functions as

Drainage Separation of ballast from sub-ballast

Doors

FRP sliding doors Two different doors have been

fabricated One with 'compreg' inside & FRP skin on

either side of the door Other being sandwich construction with

FRP exterior skins & PU foam inside. The detailed testing carried out at RRL-

Bhopal and the results were very encouraging

JuteGlassComposite Components for Railways Glass & louvre shutters for

Windows, Lavatories Axle box covers

JuteCoir Composites An Alternative to Wood Products

Coir and jute impregnated with phenolic resins

Used for sleeper berth backing doors & windows as a backing material for seat &

backrest

Sleepers for Railway Girder Bridges FRP Fabricate Good substitute for wooden sleepers Offers:

Vibration damping High resistance against strength drop

and water resistance

Gear Case

FRP gear-cases for the traction motors for diesel & electric locomotives as replacement of existing steel gear-cases

Prevents the leakage of lubricating medium

Safe from damages by stone ballast. Expected to last for 6 years in service

as against merely 2 to 3 years of conventional steel gear-case

Weight saving of 372 Kgs