The rail industry is embracing fibre-reinforced polymer composites and are key specifiers for the material for use in both infrastructure and rolling stock applications.
For infrastructure, all-FRP bridge structures are favoured for their lightweight and durable properties and can be pre-fabricated off-site meaning the disruption of service is minimised during the replacement of a foot or road bridge over the network, as these can be installed overnight. Other infrastructure applications include trackbeds, gantries, lineside furniture and platform surfaces.
Interior-wise composites can actively be seen, particularly in vestibule pods that can be moulded and then ‘dropped in’ to the vehicle structure to be connected to internal services.
This event, run by Composites UK in collaboration with the Rail Alliance, aims to highlight case studies where composites have been successfully specified – both in rail infrastructure and rolling stock – and areas in which there are still challenges and how these can be overcome.
