Triennial Report 2003 - CHARMEC

RESULTS AND EFFECTS IN INDUSTRYAt the end of charmec’s Stage 3, the partners in theIndustrial Interests Group of that Stage expressed thefollowing views (with the exception of sl Infrateknik,which did not join until 1 January 2003).Abetong Teknikcharmec has provided Abetong Teknik with an outstandingresearch environment. Among the advantagesaccruing from this environment has been the employmentby us of a PhD trained in the fields of major interestto us as suppliers of precast concrete sleeper technology.With ever increasing demands on the performanceof fixed track installations, in which concrete sleepersplay a significant role, and the tendency of the end usersto base their technical specifications on fairly generaland approximate technical standards, it is of the greatestimportance to be able to offer alternative sleeper designsbased on specific track conditions. With our new in-housePhD and with access to the entire knowledge bank withincharmec we can now offer designs of concrete sleeperssuited for track conditions relevant to the respectiverailway organization and with far better technical andeconomic performance than a sleeper designed on thebasis of the general standards adopted. Abetong Teknikcan today see a great potential in the knowledge accumulatedby charmec. By combining many of the researchresults it should be possible to transform the academictools into practical design tools, useful in the industry.Our participation in charmec has provided us with afuller understanding of the functioning of the entire trackstructure including all its components and their relatedproblems. This understanding has significantly improvedour ability to engage in professional discussions with theend users of our concrete sleepers. Seen and accepted aspart of the integral track structure, the sleepers can nowmore effectively be optimized. Alternative designs havebeen evaluated in collaboration with charmec researchers.The knowledge gained will also be useful in the developmentof a new generation of ballast-free slab-track.The Abetong licensees abroad have shown an increasinginterest in the research results emanating from charmec,and initiatives have been taken to develop a further exchangeof knowledge.Banverket Headquarterscharmec research has helped Banverket to developtrack structures for higher axle loads and lower noiseand vibration levels. The results of this research havehad a substantial impact on both Banverket’s and itscustomers’ cost-effectiveness. For instance, the upgradingof the track of the Iron Ore Line in northern Swedenfrom 25 to 30 tonne axle load and of other lines from22.5 to 25 tonne axle load has led to an estimated annualsaving in the order of meuro 50 for the two companieslkab (iron ore) and Stora Enso (paper and forest products)that use these lines for their freights.During charmec’s Stage 3, the development of newprojects on track switches has been an important stepforward. Today, Banverket spends about meuro 100annually on track maintenance with track switches accountingfor a considerable share of these costs. Thepresent co-operation between Banverket and charmecin the eu Sixth Framework Programme is expected tofurther this development. Another new development is aco-operative project between charmec and sp SwedishTesting and Research Institute on lateral track stabilityand safety against track buckling.Bombardier Transportation SwedenBombardier Transportation Sweden has been a partnerin charmec since 1 July 2000. The company hassince then changed owner and name (formerly AdtranzSweden). One reason for our joining charmec wasthat our subsidiary Adtranz Wheelset, through whichwe previously had access to charmec, was sold to theLucchini Group. The projects on wheelsets, both regardingrolling contacts and cracks in wheels, are importantfor our understanding of the behaviour of railway wheelsin traffic. Recently we have been active in initiating anew charmec project on new wheel materials, whichwas partly inspired by winter problems experienced withsome of our trains. Further, the charmec work on railwaynoise is of great importance in our aim to developquieter trains. Our ambitions for improving the vibrationalbehaviour of trains are reflected in the fact thatwe have been active in initiating three new charmecprojects in this area. We believe that the results fromthese projects will be of major importance when we developnew systems and components for bogies and carbodies.Duroc RailDuroc has been a member of the competence centresince 1997. The subsidiary Duroc Rail is a small companywhich means that access to know-how and research resultsetc would not have been possible without membershipin charmec. In February 2003, a thesis for the degreeof Licentiate of Engineering regarding properties64