engleski

Aluminium Foams in the Design of Impact-sensitive Parts of Light Rail Vehicles

The notion light concept in the design of transport means has originated from the need to increase energy efficiency, i.e. the need to reduce weight – mass of the very means in favour of increasing the volume of payload during transport. This concept necessarily introduces the application of composite materials, in structure and composition of different low-density substances that achieve the same or better desired properties in the application in comparison to traditional heavy metals. In the frame of the mentioned, at low density, improved mechanical properties, certain composites have shown higher capacity of absorbing kinetic energy at impact in comparison to steel and aluminium equivalents. More recently, in the design of transport means the attention of research and design circles has been attracted by the aluminium foams due to extraordinary capabilities of damping/ channelling the impact energy. The possibility of controlled absorption of impact energy directly means improvement of safety aspects both of stationary and of mobile means. Since they satisfy the light concept conditions in design, they represent high potential in manufacturing of impact-sensitive parts of light rail vehicles. The aluminium foams are already in application in the form of small components in air and road motor vehicles, which is not the case with the railways. This paper presents generally the previous knowledge on the production, properties and application of aluminium foams, and it analyzes the possibility of their application in the design of rail vehicles.

light rail vehicles; aluminium foams; composite materials; kinetic energy absorption

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