MODELING OF LIGHTWEIGHT CRASHWORTHY RAIL COMPONENTS

As part of a research collaboration between the Department of Mechanics and Energetics of the University of Naples Federico II (IT) and NewRail Newcastle University Centre for Railway Research (UK) has been conducted a study on the applicability of composite materials for the crashworthiness design of a train cab. The preliminary phase of work has involved the study of issues related to railway accidents and safety standards for passengers imposed by European Standards. In the next phase, we addressed the problem of redesigning the structure of an existing cab in order to reach a solution that, at the same performance, is able to increase the payload and decrease manufacturing and maintenance costs.. For this purpose, composite materials, metallic and non, has been chosen with few traditional metallic material to create virtual structures, since they are very performance and characterize by very high specific absorption energy. After a thorough comparative analysis of the characteristics of strength, energy absorption capability and applicability to a particular component of the many materials tested, it has been selected those more suitable for this purpose: mild steel, GRP, balsa wood and rigid polyurethane foam wrapped in FRP. For components made by these materials, except those made by the balsa wood, tests of mechanical characterization, needed to be able to model the correct behaviour before moving on to the stage of numerical simulations, were conducted. It has followed a consistent simulation activities with the finite element code LS-DYNA ®, to reproduce, on the individual components in each design, the impact conditions prescribed by the regulations EN15227, and, on the whole structure, the load conditions prescribed by EN12663. It has been possible to define the solution that better respond to the specified requirements, by comparing the behavioral responses of the different solutions hypothesized. The next work will consist in verifying, by static and dynamic tests on full scale prototypes of the optimized structures, the compliance between numerical and experimental results

Threshold identification and damage characterization of woven gf/cf composites under low-velocity impact

The Delamination Threshold Load (DTL) is a key parameter representing damage resistance of a laminate and is normally identified by locating a sudden drop in the impact force-time history for the laminate made of unidirectional layers. For the woven composite, however, their failure mechanisms appear different and the current literature is not providing any clear procedure regarding the identification of the delamination initiation, as well as the evolution of the failure mechanisms associated with it. In this paper, experimental data have been collected using woven glass and carbon fiber composites. The results are analyzed in terms of force-time and force-displacement curves. While delamination and other damages were clearly observed using ultrasonic scans, the analysis of the results does not reveal any trend changes of the curves that can be associated with the incipient nucleation of delamination. A preliminary discussion regarding the nature of the mechanisms through which the delamination propagates in woven composite and a justification for the absence of a sudden change of the stiffness have been presented. It raises a question on the existence of DTL for woven composites under low velocity impact

Transverse strength of railway tracks : Part 2. Test system for ballast resistance in line measurement

© Gruppo Italiano Frattura 2014. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/In the present paper, testing methods currently adopted to measure the in service ballast resistance are synthetically reviewed to identify the main sources of uncertainty influencing the test loads and to define an experimental methodology allowing the optimal control of the testing parameters without the introduction of spurious or parasitic actions on the track sample. An alternative testing system, which allows applying on a full-scale sample of a railway track testing loads very close the real ones, is presented. Of the new system, both the ways of use for measuring the transversal and axial ballast strength, the general procedure to carry out the experimentation and its application to a real scenario are described, highlighting its main advantages in terms both of modalities for applying the loads and of testing parameter control.Peer reviewe

Low-velocity impact behaviour of woven laminate plates with fire retardant resin

The understanding of the damage mechanisms for woven laminate plates under low-velocity impact is challenging as the damage mechanisms at the interface of adjacent layers are dominated by the fibre architecture. This work presents an experimental investigation of the behaviour of woven glass and carbon fibre composite laminates in a matrix of fire retardant resin under low-velocity impact. The performance is evaluated in terms of damage mechanisms and force time history curves. Six impact energy levels were used to test standard plates to identify the type of damage observed at various energy levels. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with C-scans were used to characterise the damage. It has been observed that in woven composites, the damage occurs mostly between the fibre bundles and matrix. As the impact energy increases, the failure involves extended matrix cracking and fibre fracture. Moreover, due to the fibre architecture, both the contact forces between bundles of fibres and stretching of the bundles are responsible for the dominant matrix cracking damage mode observed at the low-impact energy level. As the impact energy increases, the damage also increases resulting in fibre fracture. The experimental evidence collected during this investigation shows that for both the carbon fibre and the glass fibre woven laminates the low-velocity impact behaviour is characterised by extended fibre fracture without a noticeable sudden load drop

Corrigendum to "An Analytical Model for the Identification of the Threshold of Stress Intensity Factor Range for Crack Growth"

n/

Mechanical properties of 3-D printed truss-like lattice biopolymer non-stochastic structures for sandwich panels with natural fibre composite skins

A full mechanical characterisation of three types of 3-D printed lattice cores was performed to evaluate the feasibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) of lightweight polymer-based sandwich panels for structural applications. Effects of the shape of three selected lattice structures on the compression, shear and bending strength has been experimentally investigated. The specimens tested were manufactured with an open source fused filament fabrication-based 3-D printer. These sandwich structures considered had skins made of polypropylene (PP)-flax bonded to the polylactic acid (PLA) lattice structure core using bi-component epoxy adhesive. The PP-flax and the PLA core structures were tested separately as well as bonded together to evaluate the structural performance as sandwich panels. The compression tests were carried out to assess the in-plane and out of plane stiffness and strength by selecting a representative number of cells. Shear band and plastic hinges were observed during the in-plane tests. The shear and three-point bending tests were performed according to the standard to ensure repeatability. The work has provided an insight into the failure modes of the different shapes, and the force-displacement history curves were linked to the progressive failure mechanisms experienced by the structures. Overall, the results of the three truss-like lattice biopolymer non-stochastic structures investigated have indicated that they are well suited to be used for potential impact applications because of their high-shear and out of the plane compression strength. These results demonstrate the feasibility of AM technology in manufacturing of lightweight polymer-based sandwich panels for potential structural uses.Peer reviewe

Selection and ranking of the main beam geometry of a freight wagon for lightweighting

The traditional freight wagons employ I-beam sections as the main load-bearing structures. The primary loads they carry are vertical (from loading units) and axial (from train traction and buffers). Ease of manufacturing has played an important role in the selection of the I-beam for this role. However, with lightweighting increasingly becoming an important design objective, an evaluation needs to be done to assess if there are other existing or new section profiles (geometry) that would carry the same operational loads but are lighter. This paper presents an evaluation of 24 section profiles for their ability to take the operational loads of freight wagons. The profiles are divided into two categories, namely ‘conventional – made by wagon manufacturers (including the I-beam)’ and ‘pre-fabricated’ sections. For ranking purposes, the primary design objectives or key performance indicators were bending stress, associated deflection and buckling load. Subsequently, this was treated as a multi-criteria decision-making process. The loading conditions were applied as prescribed by the EU standard EN 12663-2. To carry out structural analysis, finite element analysis was implemented using ANSYS software. To determine the validity of the finite element analysis results, correlation analysis was done with respect to beam theory. Parameters considered were: maximum stress, deflection, second moment of area, thickness, bending stiffness and flexural rigidity. The paper discusses the impreciseness related to the use of beam theory since the local stiffness of the beam is neglected leading to an inaccurate estimation of the buckling load and the vertical displacement. Even more complicated can be the estimation of the maximum stress to be used for comparison when features such as spot welds are present. The nominal stress values computed by means of Navier equation lead to an inaccurate value of the stress since it neglects the variations in the local stiffness, which can lead to an increase in the bending stress values. The main objective of the paper is the applicability of particular section profiles to the railway field with the aim of lightweighting the main structure. Sections commonly adopted in civil applications have also been investigated to understand the stiffness and strength under railway service loads. The common approach reported in literature so far makes use either of the beam theory1 or topological finite element approach2 to determine the optimised shape under the action of the simplified loading conditions. Although the previous approaches seem to be more general, the assumptions made affect the optimisation process since the stress state differs from that attained under the actual service load in the real structure. In this paper, the use of complex shape cross sections and detailed finite element models allows to take account of the real behaviour in terms of stiffness distribution and local stress effects due to manufacturing features like welds. The structural assessment carried out with the detailed models also allows for the proper comparison among the considered sections. Analysis of the results showed that three out of the 24 section profiles have the highest potential to be fitted as the main load-bearing beams for freight wagons, with the pre-fabricated Z-section being the optimum of the three.Peer reviewe

Effect of interfacial fibre orientation and PPS veil density on delamination resistance of 5HS woven CFRP laminates under mode II loading

This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of interfacial fibre orientation and interleaved thermoplastic veil on Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of 5-harness satin woven carbon fibre reinforced polymer composite laminates. Three-point End-Notched Flexure tests were carried out to determine delamination resistance, GIIC, of specimens with five fibre orientation biases and two veil densities at the midplane. Results show that delamination resistance of 5-harness satin woven laminates depends on the layup configurations at the midplane with 90/45 fibre orientation bias exhibiting the greatest resistance. The delamination resistance enhancement from polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) veil interleaves is also fibre orientation dependent but a further increase of the veil density from 10 gm−2 to 20 gm−2 offers little extra benefit. Fracture surface morphologies were examined under SEM to understand the failure mechanism and fracture process of the woven laminate under the combined effects of the interfacial fibre orientation and the veil density. Fibre orientation relative to the delamination path, surface texture misfit, and veil density are the three main contributors identified for the variation of delamination resistance of 5HS woven laminates

Delamination migration in CFRP laminates under mode I loading

This paper focuses on the effect of interfacial fibre orientation and interleaved veil on the delamination migration of carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminates under Mode I loading. Double cantilever beam specimens with midplane interfacial fibre orientations of 0/0, 90/90, 0/90, 0/45 and 90/45 were tested under two conditions: one with interleaved thermoplastic polyphenylene sulfide veil at the midplane and one without. Results show that, except for the 0/0 configuration, all other orientations exhibit varying levels of migration associated with the interfacial fibre orientation and veil interleaving. The apparent fracture toughness determined with the modified compliance calibration method is closely related to the delamination migration and hence a structural energy dissipation measure dependent on interfacial fibre orientation and the interleaved veil. Distributions of the fibre and matrix materials around the delamination front are found to be closely related to the delamination migration behaviour along its path. The experimental observation and rationalisation presented in this paper provide further knowledge regarding delamination migration and its correlation to the apparent fracture toughness, which is of direct relevance to the damage tolerance design of laminated composite component

Transverse strength of railway tracks : Part 1. planning and experimental setup

© Gruppo Italiano Frattura 2014. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt and build upon this work, for commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Several studies have been carried out until now by various Research Agencies and Railway Administrations to quantify the effects of the track-bed geometrical characteristics on the transverse strength of the track. Unfortunately, not all the possible scenarios in terms of track components, track-bed cross profile, operating conditions etc. have been investigated and not all the relevant variables have been directly measured. Therefore data available from the literature have different degrees of reliability. With the aim of enlarging the knowledge on the track stability and covering much of the possible relevant scenarios, an experimental research program has been developed in the framework of a cooperation between RFI, Italcertifer and DII. In order to perform the investigation under quite general conditions and to reduce the experimentation costs, n. 28 significant scenarios have been identified and reproduced on as many independent track segments. By applying on each track segment a transversal load, the strength of the ballast-sleeper interface has been determined. The results relative to the first four scenarios are presented in terms of applied load vs. lateral track displacement diagrams and in more synthetic numerical tables.Peer reviewe