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Editorial
Dear Readers,
In 1835, Charles Darwin discovered 14
different species of finch in the Galapagos
Islands, all of which had evolved from a
single finch species. Darwin later developed
his theory of evolution on the basis of this
discovery.
We might ask ourselves: what is the
equivalent of Darwin’s finches in the world
of plastics? In my opinion, it’s polyurethanes.
Their versatile structure has enabled them
to undergo such a process of “evolution” that
they are now found in a number of different
rail transport applications.
Let’s start by considering the driver’s cab in
a train. Here, the use of Baydur 110 FRS and
Baydur 60 FRS allows the interior to be
designed in a functional and modern style –
with impressive looking, high-quality
materials and a level of fire performance that
meets the requirements of DIN 5510. Rail
damping with Bayflex ® effectively reduces
vibration, allowing trains to run more quietly
over the track.
When conventional railway sleepers fail,
concrete suffers frost damage and wood rots
away, glass fibre-reinforced Baydur sleepers
are still going strong. They maintain their
high mechanical strength for an estimated
lifetime of over 50 years. That’s what a highly
envolved material called polyurethane can do!
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephan Schleiermacher
Polyurethanes Business Unit
Baydur ®/Bayflex ® – Polyurethanes for Design and Functionality
IS FLYING REALLY BETTER?
If you want to get from A to B in Germany quickly and in comfort, taking a plane is by no means
your only option. These days, Deutsche Bahn’s high-speed trains offer a standard of service
which, until recently, could only be experienced above the clouds. And it’s not just in the
passenger facilities that you can draw this parallel. The driver’s cab in the ICE ® 3 looks just
like the cockpit of a plane. It is only divided from the passenger carriages by a glass screen,
so anyone who’s interested can see their “pilot” at work at any time during the journey !
Featuring soft contours, a clear layout and
quality-finish surfaces, large areas of the
driver’s control panel in the ICE ® 3 are made up
of large, lightweight molded parts produced by
polyurethane specialist Thieme GmbH & Co. KG
of Teningen, Germany, using the Baydur ® 60
and Baydur ® 110 systems.
Thieme designs cladding
for the cockpit of the ICE ® 3
Thieme supplies the molded parts to Dornier
GmbH, which in turn supplies them to the
ICE ® Siemens/Bombardier consortium. This
consortium has developed and built the ICE ® 3
in a project led by the Transportation Systems
Division of Siemens AG and run in cooperation
with Deutsche Bahn AG.
The advantages of using
polyurethane in rail transport
When it comes to implementing ambitious
design concepts, polyurethane has repeatedly
proven itself to be an excellent material in
many fields. The railway sector is no exception.
A total of 27 different parts are produced for
the ICE ® 3 cockpit.
They include everything from cladding sections
to high-quality panels fitted with recesses
for switches and levers. They can also be
screen-printed. It is vital that the materials
used in this project meet the strict guidelines
of Deutsche Bahn and other national and
international fire safety standards. Baydur ®
complies with the required classifications S4,
SR2 and ST2 of DIN standard 5510.
(For information about fire protection standards
in the rail sector, see the final article in this
edition of InForm, which is entitled “Guide to
Polyurethanes”)