DESIGN, ANALYSIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTICS FOR REPLACEMENT OF BODY OF GOODS TRAIN WAGON

Mechanical Engineering

The current performance requirements for the global rail industry demand that trains are more reliable, efficient and can accommodate an increased capacity for more passengers. The primary objective of the fiber-reinforced composites is to obtain materials with high strength in conjunction with higher elastic modulus. Lightweight construction of rail vehicles is thus required to meet these requirements. A cantilevered seat bracket, luggage rack module, intermediate end structure, body side structure and roof structure were identified by using this frp methodology. Rail car body structural components, forming the primary structure of a rail vehicle, were determined to be the most optimal components to replace in composites for maximum light weighting of the sprung mass. It was estimated that a composite redesign of these components would result in a mass savings of 57% for intermediate end structures, 47% for body side structures and 51% for roof structures. The Kevlar, basalt and glass fiber reinforced plastics are selected and laminates were prepared by using hand lay up technique .Test coupons were prepared as per the ASTM standards and material characterization test were carried in different combinations of the above prescribed fiber plastics. The finite element analysis were carried out by using Ansys Workbench on various combinations of the Kevlar, basalt and glass fiber reinforced polymers.

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