Abstract

En los últimos años, el sector ferroviario, está demandando componentes de alta responsabilidad más ligeros, fabricados en composites debido tanto a la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías para la mejora del confort y experiencia de pasajeros, así como para afrontar los nuevos retos medioambientales (reducción emisiones, consumo energía, aumento de la capacidad, etc).

Con este objetivo, Talgo introduce un bastidor de bogie en material compuesto de altas prestaciones (CFRP) para trenes de muy alta velocidad, tradicionalmente metálicos (acero), que permite conseguir reducciones de peso superiores al 30%. Además, este nuevo bogie aprovecha las propiedades a fatiga de estos materiales para incorporar la primera etapa de suspensión en el propio bastidor.

La reducción de elementos del bogie, así como la fabricación por infusión mejora la competitividad en todo el ciclo de vida en comparación con un bogie tradicional cumpliendo la normativa EN-45545-2 HL2 de fuego, humo y toxicidad.

El proyecto de este bastidor ligero se completará con la fabricación y test en banco conforme a la norma EN 13749 así como ensayos balísticos de impacto de piedras de balasto.

In recent years, the railway sector has been demanding lighter, high-responsibility components made from composites due to the incorporation of new technologies to improve passenger comfort and experience, as well as to address new environmental challenges (reducing emissions, energy consumption, increasing capacity, etc.).

With this objective, Talgo introduces a high-performance composite bogie frame (CFRP) for very high-speed trains, traditionally made of metal (steel), which allows for weight reductions of over 30%. Additionally, this new bogie leverages the fatigue properties of these materials to incorporate the first stage of suspension into the frame itself.

The reduction of bogie elements, as well as infusion manufacturing, improves competitiveness throughout the lifecycle compared to a traditional bogie, complying with the EN-45545-2 HL2 standards for fire, smoke, and toxicity.

The project for this lightweight frame will be completed with manufacturing and bench testing in accordance with EN 13749 standards, as well as ballistic impact tests with ballast stones

Abstract

Within the European platform Europe's Rail, whose objective is to promote research and development activities in the railway sector, can be found the PIVOT-2 project (Grant Agreement no. 881807), which addresses the implementation on track of light and environmentally friendly vehicles, reducing energy consumption and therefore the CO2 emissions derived from the transport sector.

To meet these objectives, the project seeks to achieve the weight reduction of primary structures. This way, the use of composites materials appears as an interesting alternative in a sector where their use has been very limited to non-structural components, largely due to the need to comply with fire protection regulations (EN 45545) [1]. Thanks to the development of new resins, the possibilities of these materials are increasing, being necessary to evaluate their performance in new applications.

Similarly, the characteristics of the railway industry mean that the manufacturing processes of composite materials widely used in other sectors, such as the aerospace, must be adapted. Likewise, and due to the requirements of the final product, it will be necessary to adapt the materials to these new applications, developing materials with higher grammage or ply thickness than those currently used.

The project evaluates the automatic laying of different materials developed for the railway sector. The behaviour of flat laminates is analysed, as well as the lamination of the material on core structures. Finally, studies are validated with the manufacturing of a train carbody section, using automatic lamination processes (ATL). 

Abstract

Composite materials play a very relevant role in various sectors, thanks to the lightweighting they can accomplish. Their implementation has been steadily increasing in recent decades, accompanied by the development of processes and equipment that facilitate and optimize their implementation. Spain is one of the leading European countries in the implementation of these materials and technologies, with leading companies and research centers both in terms of application and technological innovation, which continue to work on expanding the use of composites and advancing their sustainability.

Abstract

La racionalitat econòmica prescriu que la inversió en oferta de transport es faci prioritàriament allà on hi ha demanda, però les polítiques que han seguit els governs espanyols durant les darreres dècades no semblen respondre a aquesta lògica. El cas del Corredor Mediterrani al seu pas per Espanya és paradigmàtic. L’eix litoral del Pirineu a Algesires és origen o destinació del 62% del tràfic a Espanya de llarga distància (és a dir, per distàncies de 300 km o més, que són essencialment aquelles per les que el ferrocarril pot ser un mitjà de transport competitiu). Per això, l’associació FERRMED estima que les inversions al Corredor Mediterrani aportarien un 94% del total de beneficis econòmics que aportarien els corredors europeus a Espanya. Sembla doncs que aquestes inversions haurien de tenir una prioritat superior a d’altres comparables a regions amb menys demanda de transport com ara les del nord-oest de la península Ibèrica. Això, tanmateix, no és el que està passant, i el Corredor Mediterrani s’està veient perjudicat no només per llarguíssims endarreriments sinó també per un disseny “low-cost” comparativament inferior al que s’està aplicant a regions de molta menys demanda a l’interior de la Península. A hores d’ara ja podem predir que aquest disseny, tal com està concebut, no proporcionarà les prestacions que justificarien aquesta colossal inversió pan-europea.