The world’s first carbon fiber rail bogie (CAFIBO) is being developed by a consortium of companies including ELG Carbon Fibre, Magma Structures, the University of Birmingham, the University of Huddersfield and Alstom. The new bogie, made entirely out of surplus and recycled carbon fiber materials, is lighter than conventional bogies and optimizes vertical and transverse stiffness.
Benefits of the CAFIBO include:
- Reduced track wear and infrastructure maintenance costs by reducing vertical and transverse loads on the rails
- Improved reliability and operational availability through an embedded health monitoring system
- Reduced energy consumption
The bogie will be tested on the University of Huddersfield’s Huddersfield Adhesion & Rolling contact Laboratory Dynamics test rolling rig, also known as HAROLD. HAROLD is unique in combining a large 2m diameter rotating rail drum with the capability to test a complete bogie assembly including an accurate representation of the contact conditions existing between the wheel and rail.
