News

Suspension test assembly

Secondary suspension test in Polimi, October 5 2007

Fully understanding suspension behaviour

The secondary suspension is very critical in view of ride safety and homologation, because of the influence on the normal loads and load transfer when the vehicle runs along a curved track and, moreover, with respect to the response to the lateral wind (i.e. wind gusts). The same component is also critical in view of passenger's comfort, because it realizes the function of vibration filtering from the bogie to the carbody.

Despite its importance, there is at present the need to better understand the behaviour of this component and to properly characterise the different sub-components in the suspension, e.g. the spring itself in the inflated/deflated conditions, the pneumatic circuit etc., which all play a key role in the dynamic behaviour of the system.

More in detail, the complete set up test bench aims at verifing that the adoption of the actual tests on components (e.g. test for air spring according to EN13597 June 2003, test for valve according to ISO 6358) is sufficient for the characterisation of the dynamic behaviour of the complete secondary suspension system.

Newsletter 3 cover page

Third MODTRAIN Newsletter, 24 September 2007

Project achievements and developments

MODTRAIN has just published its 3rd newsletter which features the latest project achievements and development of each Work-Package.

The MODTRAIN partners are happy to inform you that MODTRAIN has been selected as an excellent example of the positive impacts that EU research can achieve, and will be featured in a catalogue of FP6 success stories.

Please bear in mind that the MODTRAIN closing conference will be organised in early spring 2008 and the major results will be presented.

For more details, please contact Antoine Loraillère <antoine.loraillere@unife.org> or Judit Sandor <judit.sandor@unife.org>.

EUCAB driver desk

First EUCAB test campaign

June 2007

In June 2007 took place the first test campaign of the EUCAB driver desk for locomotive. Based on ORS612 and after a common development with the Industry, the driver desk has been tested in June by 18 drivers coming from all over Europe.

Thanks to the SNCF simulator facility in Lille (Simufer), Eucab driver desk has been assessed by experimented European drivers under different scenarios.

The first campaign is now finished and EUCAB subproject is now processing the feedbacks and questionnaires answered by the drivers. It will result in the improvement of the specifications for the second test campaign: the Multiple Unit driver desk.

Newsletter 2 cover page

Second MODTRAIN Newsletter, 8 August 2006

A modular train becoming reality

MODTRAIN stands for Innovative Modular Vehicle Concepts for an Integrated European Railway System. At the time of its launch, it was the first Integrated Project of its kind in the area of joint European railway research. MODTRAIN aims to define and prove the necessary functional, electrical and mechanical interfaces and validation procedures to deliver the range of interchangeable modules, which will form the basis for the next generation on intercity trains and universal locomotives.

MODBRAKE project started on 1st June 2006

Interoperability through addressing brake system performance

The MODBRAKE project kick-off meeting was held on 27th of June in Brussels with the presence of the European Commission.

Following the vision and approach of the Integrated Project MODTRAIN, MODBRAKE aims at contributing to the practical implementation of interoperability of railway systems across Europe by addressing brake system performance.

The braking system is one of the most critical and complex subsystems of rail vehicles, in particular in relation to safety requirements. Current situation in brake supply sector is characterised by the unnecessary and costly diversity of brake systems design, testing, validation and maintenance procedures. To reduce this complexity and therefore the costs of the brake systems the project proposes modularisation of the brake system. The related system specifications will be elaborated, evaluated and tested to develop a modular brake concept. The standardised modules will be interchangeable in terms of functions and interfaces while they may still be specific to each manufacturer so as to guarantee future technological progress.

The main outputs of the project will be:

  • Specification of the modules (according to all relevant levels of the rolling stock architecture) of the brake system
  • Design of the modules and their interfaces
  • Specification of assessment and maintenance processes (especially inspection/test criteria for safety and reliability)
  • Development/improvement of a tool for the evaluation of the life-cycle-costs of brake modules
  • Realisation and practical tests of prototypes
  • Direct proposals to standardisation bodies about future brake requirements to be standardised or standards to be enhanced.

The main stakeholders in the high-speed railway sector (the 2 major European brake suppliers; the 4 major European system integrators; the 3 biggest European railway operators; 2 industrial associations) assisted by 3 research centres and 1 project management company, join their efforts to contribute to the ambitious goal of providing the European customer with an affordable, attractive and safe railway system.

For further information, please visit the new MODBRAKE website or contact Antoine Loraillère <antoine.loraillere@unife.org>.

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