CARBODIN: Fiber-composite lightweight construction for car bodies
Within the CARBODIN project, supported by the European Shift2Rail program, and together with European partners, we developed a generic, modular fiber-composite lightweight design for the car bodies of railway vehicles, which enables significantly more cost-effective production.
In the design of the supporting structure, we had to in particular consider the restrictions of the selected cost-effective production methods, VARI = Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion and pultrusion, with regard to feasible geometries and fiber orientations. We therefore focused on the development of modular tool systems for the VARI procedure, which enable the production of various fiber-composite components with a largely similar design, by means of the insertion of different cores onto just a single base tool. This enables a significant reduction in the required number of different tools.
In the design of the supporting structure, we had to in particular consider the restrictions of the selected cost-effective production methods, VARI = Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion and pultrusion, with regard to feasible geometries and fiber orientations. We therefore focused on the development of modular tool systems for the VARI procedure, which enable the production of various fiber-composite components with a largely similar design, by means of the insertion of different cores onto just a single base tool. This enables a significant reduction in the required number of different tools.
In addition, the use of more affordable primary products – resin and fibers – was considered in the development stage. Until now, cost-intensive pre-impregnated semi-finished products – so-called “prepregs” – were generally used. In contrast to these, the more affordable primary products also require no frozen storage to prevent a premature curing reaction. The focused cold-curing resin systems also require no energy- and system-intensive curing process, and can instead be allowed to cure at room temperature. Cost analyses on the basis of fabricated individual components reveal a savings potential of up to 25 percent in comparison to standard fiber-composite production processes. The developed lightweight solutions thus offer possibilities for the cost and resource-efficient use of fiber-composite materials for the rail vehicles of the future.
