Use lighter composite materials to help design the railway of the future

The MAT4RAIL project has developed a new formulation of mixed resins, which will make it possible to use lighter composite materials to replace metal railway parts. Smart interior parts are also designed to increase capacity and provide higher passenger comfort.

The Plastics Technology Center Aimplas participated in the recently completed European MAT4RAIL project, which involves the development of new materials and components to design the railway of the future. The objectives of the project include reducing the weight of railway vehicles by replacing metal structural parts with lightweight components made of composite materials, and improving vehicle capacity and passenger comfort through the use of smart modular interior design. The project started in 2017 and was coordinated by Cidetec.

The role of Aimplas is to develop new mixed resin formulations that have improved flame propagation resistance and can be used for fiber-reinforced polymers. The results are encouraging, and the new formula is expected to be used in other fields such as construction, the automotive industry, and aerospace.

In addition, the performance of these new materials was evaluated in structural components to replace metal components. To this end, collaborative work has been carried out to improve specific regulations on calculating fatigue requirements for trams. This work involves the process of standardizing the design and calculation of trams through sensor monitoring. In order to improve the connection between dissimilar materials (composite material and metal), an evaluation was carried out.

The project also involves modifying the cabin and seat design to create the cabin of the future by integrating new technologies and communication systems. The purpose is to improve safety, detect the presence of irrelevant objects on the rails, and improve the communication between vehicles. Modular carriages have also been developed to achieve multiple configurations, thanks to the multi-function panels with different connections for equipment.

In addition, the new seat design will provide more passengers with greater comfort, while providing more seat layout options.

The implementation of the project is expected to improve the railway infrastructure in terms of cost, operation, reliability, punctuality, increased capacity and energy efficiency, and reduced life cycle costs.

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