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Composite cab fronts high speed train
applications
Composite cab fronts high speed train A FRONT END cab made of composite material has been developed by Indian firm Kineco, based in Goa, for a new high speed train that will travel at speeds up to 140 kmph. The train, called DEMU (diesel electric multiple unit) is designed on the lines of some high speed trains in Europe and is fitted with two composite cabs. The train is now operating under the Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway in India. Kineco says that train has an aesthetically pleasing, futuristic look. Kineco designed and manufactured the E-glass reinforced epoxy cab, including the interiors and driver’s desk. The structural design of 2.8 m x 3.2 m x 2.5 m front end cab is based on a stiffened
construction consisting of composite skin backed with composite stiffeners with solid rectangular sections. The composite internal skin is bonded to the main loadbearing composite structure of the cab with a glass wool insulation between both layers. The cattle guard and side skirting are also made of glass fibre composites with a mild steel back-up structure. Glass fibre was also used for the driver’s desk, storage rack and cab internal paneling, reinforcing a fire retardant grade of polyester resin. The front end cab is finished using a high gloss polyurethane paint system with ultraviolet (UV) stabilization. The company says that it chose a vacuum bagging process because this technique
The train in action, showing the futuristic look of the front end cab.
gives a void free laminate, a higher glass content and higher structural properties of the composite laminate. Kineco says making the cab out of reinforced plastic can have many advantages over using conventional materials such as steel. These include a considerable reduction in weight the
ability for complicated shapes to be easily moulded, better shock absorbing properties, better aesthetics and no corrosion. Kineco Group; tel: +91-832242-7864; fax +91-832-2228091; e-mail: ho@kinecogroup. com; website: www.kinecogroup. com.
Polyurethane replaces wooden sleepers WOODEN SLEEPERS have been replaced by reinforced polyurethane (PU) parts for a bridge in Vienna, Austria. This is the first time this material has been used for this application in Europe, Bayer MaterialScience reports. The sleepers are made of pultruded Eslon Neo Lumber fibre reinforced foamed urethane (FFU), which is made from Bayer’s Baydur® 60 grade reinforced with long glass fibres produced by Sumika Bayer Urethane Co Ltd. They will form part of a renovation project of the Zollamt bridge in Vienna. Eslon Neo Lumber FFU looks like wood and, according to Bayer, combines all the benefits of a natural product with those of a composite material. For example, sleepers made of the material can be
screwed together, nailed or sawed using conventional woodworking tools and adhere together with a stronger bond. Unlike natural wood, Eslon Neo Lumber FFU is said to lose none of its mechanical properties even after long term service in the open air. The product is already popular in the Asian market for a number of applications that previously used wood, such as pools for fish farming, silos, and walkways as well as railway sleepers. “Eslon Neo Lumber FFU is particularly suited to use on bridges as it offers clear advantages over wood,” says Michael Schwittlinsky from Sekisui Chemical Germany, a subsidiary of the Japanese company which sells Eslon Neo Lumber FFU overseas. “Temperature changes, UV radiation
The Zollamt bridge in Vienna with sleepers made of Baydur 60 grade reinforced with long glass fibres. (Picture courtesy of Bayer MaterialScience AG.)
and in particular the permanent moisture in the air mean that wooden sleepers weather more quickly here than in other areas of application.” Bayer says that the material is also superior to concrete because of its low weight and simpler machinability on site. Using a pultrusion process means that it is easy to
manufacture sleepers of different lengths, whereas concrete would require a different-sized mould each time. The sleepers also have good electrical insulation properties and are resistant to frost and de-icing salt. Bayer MaterialScience; website: www.bayermaterialscience. com.
October 2004
REINFORCEDplastics
9
Composite cab fronts high speed train A FRONT END cab made of composite material has been developed by Indian firm Kineco, based in Goa, for a new high speed train that will travel at speeds up to 140 kmph. The train, called DEMU (diesel electric multiple unit) is designed on the lines of some high speed trains in Europe and is fitted with two composite cabs. The train is now operating under the Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway in India. Kineco says that train has an aesthetically pleasing, futuristic look. Kineco designed and manufactured the E-glass reinforced epoxy cab, including the interiors and driver’s desk. The structural design of 2.8 m x 3.2 m x 2.5 m front end cab is based on a stiffened
construction consisting of composite skin backed with composite stiffeners with solid rectangular sections. The composite internal skin is bonded to the main loadbearing composite structure of the cab with a glass wool insulation between both layers. The cattle guard and side skirting are also made of glass fibre composites with a mild steel back-up structure. Glass fibre was also used for the driver’s desk, storage rack and cab internal paneling, reinforcing a fire retardant grade of polyester resin. The front end cab is finished using a high gloss polyurethane paint system with ultraviolet (UV) stabilization. The company says that it chose a vacuum bagging process because this technique
The train in action, showing the futuristic look of the front end cab.
gives a void free laminate, a higher glass content and higher structural properties of the composite laminate. Kineco says making the cab out of reinforced plastic can have many advantages over using conventional materials such as steel. These include a considerable reduction in weight the
ability for complicated shapes to be easily moulded, better shock absorbing properties, better aesthetics and no corrosion. Kineco Group; tel: +91-832242-7864; fax +91-832-2228091; e-mail: ho@kinecogroup. com; website: www.kinecogroup. com.
Polyurethane replaces wooden sleepers WOODEN SLEEPERS have been replaced by reinforced polyurethane (PU) parts for a bridge in Vienna, Austria. This is the first time this material has been used for this application in Europe, Bayer MaterialScience reports. The sleepers are made of pultruded Eslon Neo Lumber fibre reinforced foamed urethane (FFU), which is made from Bayer’s Baydur® 60 grade reinforced with long glass fibres produced by Sumika Bayer Urethane Co Ltd. They will form part of a renovation project of the Zollamt bridge in Vienna. Eslon Neo Lumber FFU looks like wood and, according to Bayer, combines all the benefits of a natural product with those of a composite material. For example, sleepers made of the material can be
screwed together, nailed or sawed using conventional woodworking tools and adhere together with a stronger bond. Unlike natural wood, Eslon Neo Lumber FFU is said to lose none of its mechanical properties even after long term service in the open air. The product is already popular in the Asian market for a number of applications that previously used wood, such as pools for fish farming, silos, and walkways as well as railway sleepers. “Eslon Neo Lumber FFU is particularly suited to use on bridges as it offers clear advantages over wood,” says Michael Schwittlinsky from Sekisui Chemical Germany, a subsidiary of the Japanese company which sells Eslon Neo Lumber FFU overseas. “Temperature changes, UV radiation
The Zollamt bridge in Vienna with sleepers made of Baydur 60 grade reinforced with long glass fibres. (Picture courtesy of Bayer MaterialScience AG.)
and in particular the permanent moisture in the air mean that wooden sleepers weather more quickly here than in other areas of application.” Bayer says that the material is also superior to concrete because of its low weight and simpler machinability on site. Using a pultrusion process means that it is easy to
manufacture sleepers of different lengths, whereas concrete would require a different-sized mould each time. The sleepers also have good electrical insulation properties and are resistant to frost and de-icing salt. Bayer MaterialScience; website: www.bayermaterialscience. com.
October 2004
REINFORCEDplastics
9