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REFRESCO: New structural materials in railway rolling stock

TWI was one of 18 organisations across Europe involved in REFRESCO: an EU-funded project to explore the viability of using advanced materials in the construction of rolling stock. These new materials, including composites and light metallic alloys, consume less energy and would reduce the emissions of rail transport. TWI investigated several materials for this project.

Background

The transportation industry has long been engaged in the application of new lightweight materials for primary structures without compromising safety. However, implementation in the rail industry has been slow, mainly due to the lack of suitable certification procedures for railway vehicles. Such procedures are necessary so that rolling stock made from new materials will perform as intended, and be at least as safe as a vehicle made from the material it replaces. 

Introducing certification

REFRESCO aimed to set out the framework for the implementation of new materials in the railway sector, through the evolution of certification processes for rolling stock. REFRESCO generated recommendations, and provided the information needed to adapt the regulatory framework of railway car body structures to the introduction of new materials. 

Figure 1 Damage on composite railway structures
Figure 1 Damage on composite railway structures

Benchmarking and process development

REFRESCO was a 30-month project supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme, coordinated by UNIFE, the association of the European rail industry.

The project was divided into nine work packages (WPs). It began by benchmarking the most promising new materials (and associated certification processes) being used both inside and outside the transport sector, which could be implemented in railway rolling stock. It also carried out an analysis of the gaps in the current framework which need to be filled to allow the implementation of new materials.

This was accompanied by the identification of required certification processes. The work carried out in WP2 was inputted into the rest of the technical work packages in REFRESCO, which focused on specific issues of relevance to the implementation of new materials in railway rolling stock. These issues are as follows: fire and smoke performance, noise and vibration performance, and electromagnetic compatibility issues (WP3); structural resistance and fatigue analysis (WP4); crashworthiness (eg Figure 1) (WP5); joining and manufacturing (WP6); prognostic and health management (WP7); and reparability and maintainability (eg Figure 2) (WP8).

Future developments

The last work package (WP9) is dedicated to the dissemination of the project work and its conclusions, which will be presented to different players in the rail sector. The information achieved in this project will be both important and useful for the SHIFT2Rail initiative.

For more information visit www.refresco-project.eu or email contactus@twi.co.uk

Figure 2 NDT component inspection
Figure 2 NDT component inspection
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