InnoTrans 2018

•••6••• Innovationen Mat4Rail: railway of the future EU research project aims at developing innovative materials and reducing the weight of trains Thus, of great importance is the development of innovative mate- rials and a modular design for rail vehicles. A further goal of the EU research project is to reduce the weight of trains. Prerequisite for this is that newly developed light- weight composites meet require- ments in respect of mechanical stability and fire behaviour. Mat- 4Rail also aims at developing new concepts to increase carrying capacity and passenger comfort through the integrated modular- ity of carriage interiors. As part of the Mat4Rail project, researchers at the University of Bremen and Fraunhofer IFAM are working on the development of flame-retardant lightweight ma- terials. Project leader Professor Bernd Mayer explains: “The Mat- 4Rail project allows us to investi- gate and optimise innovative ma- trix systems with regard to their fire behaviour in combination with carbon, glass and basalt fibres. We’re excited about this opportu- nity to work on the emergence of a whole new generation of rail ve- hicles.” The four-person research team around Mayer consists of two production technicians and a chemist, who are supported by re- searchers from Fraunhofer IFAM. The project located at the Uni- versity of Bremen lasts two years and is being funded with almost 500000 euros. Mat4Rail is part of the so-called Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU), a public-private partnership launched in the frame of the Hori- zon 2020 EU research programme. The goal of S2R JU is to secure and strengthen the competitive- ness of the European rail indus- try. Horizon 2020 is the worldDZs largest transnational support pro- gramme for science, technology development, and innovation. In addition to SMART, Mat4Rail is already the second Shift2Rail project in which the University of Bremen is directly involved. SMART is about automation in rail freight transport. Members of the Mat4Rail Consortium Photo: Mat4Rail Continued from page 1 Quality, safety and ergonomics in wheelset assembly In the production of new wheelsets or their servicing and maintenance, the press- ing processes on the wheelset assembly presses essentially differ from one another in terms of the process parameters. More signicant differences arise with respect to the quality assurance and documentation requirements, as well as those relating to safety and ergonomics. “The requirements today are much more closely linked with quality assurance and operator safe- ty, as well as ergonomics - because “presses” can also be made by other companies,” is how Mr Ruediger Schury, Managing Director of MAE GmbH, assesses the situation. “At this point we can use our strengths in particular,” explains Schury. MAE Goetzen GmbH, a medium-size machine manufacturer located near Dusseldorf, Ger- many, has manufactured hydraulic assembly presses for the assembly and disassembly of wheelsets since the end of the 1950s. MAE has its headquarter in Germany and branches in China and the USA. The company structure is therefore ideal for the rapid technical worldwide support of a global player. From the technical perspective, MAE strength- ened its worldwide position as a market leader for wheelset presses with the development of the RADS series in 2008. Associated with this, signicant further developments have been im- plemented in order to ideally full the require- ments of the market. MAE makes use of different loading systems. Each solution is correspondingly designed to be optimised to the application. The range extends from simple manual solutions to fully automatic systems, always considering the aspects of safety and ergonomics. The installation process does not begin with the loading of the wheelset, but with the preparatory work on the wheelset. For this, different versions of the pre-assembly stands are used. Good acces- sibility, an ergonomically optimised working height and safe handling are the signicant requirements which have to be fullled here. The loading systems are also characterised by simple handling and high safety levels. Manual interventions of the operator are restricted to a minimum so that possible errors to staff and materials are avoided. Compliance with international and national norms such as EN 13260, AAR, TB/T or Gost is automatically checked and certied by the software of the machine. Solutions have been created for high vol- ume production which take into account the requirements in terms of cycle time and degree of automation. “With the successful introduction of the RADS wheelset press series and the further devel- opments in the elds of quality assurance, safety and ergonomics, we have continuously improved our wheelset presses. We are there- fore able to offer an optimised solution for every requirement feature. This forms the basis for our global market leadership,” explains Ruedi- ger Schury. Wheel transport unit Wheelset manipulator Maschinen- und Apparatebau Götzen GmbH , Steinhof 65, 40699 Erkrath • Germany • Phone +49 211 9 24 83-0 • Fax +49 211 92483-52 E-Mail: sales@mae-group.com • Internet www.mae-group.com A company of the GESCO group Our Brands Wheelset Press for high speed trains Anzeige