Mat4Rail Newsletter 02  |  December 2018

The driver's desk of the future will be modular and flexible!
User-centred concept development for innovative solutions
The progressive technological development of autonomous driving will have a strong impact on the rail industry, especially on the design of driver’s desks. The transition phase between manually operated trains to fully autonomous trains demands a new design of the train driver’s cabin. This offers new possibilities how to set up the cockpit and how to deal with the newly generated space.
Flexibility and modularity are the driving factors for the development of new concepts of the driver’s desks. Spirit Design’s user-centred approach not only considered the design of the driver's seat and its controls, but also the needs of drivers, operators, manufacturers and travellers as well as multiple emerging technological trends. As a result, two concepts have been developed which offer space for drivers and passengers alike. Read More

Further opportunities in railway structures through innovations in materials and processes
Application to innovative door leaves
One of the objectives of Mat4Rail is to develop an innovative design for the train door leaves, aiming for improvements in terms of weight, acoustic attenuation and thermal insulation.
This part of the work is led by Coexpair, who bring relevant expertise from the aeronautical sector. Supported by further industry and research experts the approach pursued consists of:

1. Introducing new materials or multi-material solutions, and processes (i.e. manufacturing and joining/assembling techniques),
2. Identifying relevant design tools to ensure the analysis of the widest range of structure concepts,
3. Applying standardised analysis methods integrated in a procedure for low cost manufacturing oriented railway parts.

And in broader terms, the work performed within Mat4rail will align with contemporary trends in industry. Read More

Material-independent design loads for car-bodies
A new algorithm for the generation of synthetic operational load sequences
Mat4Rail is a project researching the development and qualification of new materials for car-bodies of railway vehicles. The need for work on the definition of design requirements, the development of new material mixtures and the characterisation of their chemical and mechanical properties is evident. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge on how to define the expected operational loads for the fatigue strength assessment of such new materials. This is the reason to work on material-independent design loads for car-bodies of railway vehicles. Read More

Mat4Rail on Tour
Project partners contribute to relevant meetings and events
The Mat4Rail consortium consist of 16 partners bringing together extensive expertise in engineering and materials research, testing and characterisation of materials and mechanical properties as well as experts in industrial and product design and EU funded projects. Our consortium contributes to a number of events and meetings relevant to the railway industry in order to present and promote the key findings from the Mat4Rail project.
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