Light coach interior equipment

evaluated

Interior components such as seats, wall panelling and windows offer considerable potential for weight reduction. Possible measures include both the procurement of new stock and the refurbishment of old cars.

Technology field: Mass reduction

General information

Description

The interior equipment of passenger coaches typically accounts for 10 to 20% of total coach weight.

Due to the fact that interior parts (seats, interior panels etc.) are usually non-structural components, there is big lightweight potential.

Interior fittings

In a modern saloon-type coach (German "Großraumwagen") of 25 m length, interior fittings (sides without windows and roof) have a surface of roughly 150 m². Typical conventional components have a surface weight of 6,5 kg/m², yielding a total weight of roughly 1 ton per coach.

New construction variants may substantially reduce this figure. Especially the sandwich option using prepregs with a foam or honeycomb core may reduce the mass of interior fittigs by some 35%.

Seats

Lighter seats are another effective means of weight reduction in coach interior equipment. The use lighter passenger seats formed part of the refit programme realized on several coaches at SBB.

General criteria

Status of development: in use

(no details available)

Time horizon for broad application: now

(no details available)

Expected technological development: dynamic

New developments will come mainly from new materials, especially fibre-reinforced polymers and sandwich structures.

Motivation:

Weight reduction for reasons of vehicle dynamics
Energy saving

Benefits (other than environmental): medium

Improvement of vehicle dynamics
Lowering of center of gravity
Reduced axle load

Barriers: low

If lightweight interior equipment combines mass reduction with high aesthetical value and passenger comfort, barriers are low.

Success factors:

(no details available)

Applicability for railway segments: high

Type of traction: electric - DC, electric - AC, diesel

Type of transportation: passenger - main lines, passenger - high speed, passenger - regional lines, passenger - suburban lines

Weight reductions in interior equipment are not only an option for new stock but may be part of retrofit measures on existing stock.

Grade of diffusion into railway markets:

Diffusion into relevant segment of fleet: not applicable

Share of newly purchased stock: not applicable

Weight reduction of interoreqiopment is a continuous process. Therefore a general grade of diffusion cannot be given.

Market potential (railways): high

(no details available)

Example:

Copenhagen S-trains

The joint development project of DSB and the Siemens/LHB consortium included a thorough assessment of the optimum solution for interior equipment combining lightweight with LCA targets.

Refurbishment of coaches at SBB

In a coach retrofit project at SBB, the total weight was reduced by 2,0 tons from 44,0 to 42,0 tons (~ 5%). This was achieved by lighter setas and by elimination of one toilet.

Environmental criteria

Impacts on energy efficiency:

Energy efficiency potential for single vehicle: 2 - 5%

Energy efficiency potential throughout fleet: 1 - 2%

In the coach retrofit project at SBB, the total weight was reduced by 2,0 tons from 44,0 to 42,0 tons (~ 5%). This was achieved by lighter setas and by elimination of one toilet. Although for new coaches there will be less reduction potential, an average reduction potential between 2 and 5% seems realistic. The estimated effect on overall energy efficiency is given by the following elasticity table:

	Traction	Brake energy recovery	Effect on train mass	Elasticity with regard to train mass	Effect on total energy consumption for traction
High speed train	electric	no	2-5%	0,17	0-1%
		yes	2-5%	0,12	0-1%
Intercity train	electric	no	2-5%	0,19	0-1%
		yes	2-5%	0,14	0-1%
	diesel	-	2-5%	0,19	0-1%
Regional train	electric	no	2-5%	0,52	1-3%
		yes	2-5%	0,44	1-2%
	diesel	-	2-5%	0,52	1-3%
Suburban train	electric	no	2-5%	0,64	1-3%
		yes	2-5%	0,57	1-3%
	diesel	-	2-5%	0,64	1-3%
				Range:	0-3%

Other environmental impacts: neutral

Economic criteria

Vehicle - fix costs: low

Whereas high performance composite materials such as sandwich constructions used to be the exclusive domain of subsidized aerospace manufacturers, nowadays new materials and manufacturing processes (e.g. crushed-core construction for prepreg sandwiches) make them available at competitive prices for railway applications.

Vehicle - running costs: significant reduction

(no details available)

Infrastructure - fix costs: none

(no details available)

Infrastructure - running costs: unchanged

(no details available)

Scale effects: (no data)

(no details available)

Amortisation: strongly dependent on specific application

Depends on measure, generally rather low.

Application outside railway sector (this technology is railway specific)

Overall rating

Overall potential: promising

Time horizon: short-term

Lightweight efforts for interior equipment of railway cars are a promising measure to be realized in short or mid term. Their effect on energy efficiency is medium. Barriers are low especially if lightweight equipment is part of the design of new stock. Corresponding refurbishment projects are most successful if the replacement of interior equipment is part of a bundle of energy efficiency measures ensuring good cost-benefit ratio.

References / Links: Schlosser et al. 1996; Schuon 1998; Euro Transport Consult 1997; Brunner et al. 2000

Attachments:

Related projects: The purchase of the new Copenhagen S-trains; Savings on Coaches, Type Bpm

Contact persons:

date created: 2002-10-09