Impact of normative loads and conventions on car body weight and structure for a rural rail vehicle

Abstract

Lightweight design in rail vehicles is crucial for enhancing energy efficiency, reducing operational costs, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. This paper presents an overview of the key structural considerations and design principles involved in the early mechanical design of the car body of a small regional vehicle developed as part of the Horizon Europe Project "FutuRe". The project aims to create a lightweight, two-axle rail vehicle for rural Europe, with a maximum weight of 32 tons. The design process employs a comprehensive methodical lightweight design approach, including topology optimizations to estimate and minimize the structural mass of the car body and gain insights into its optimal structural design. The results indicate that longitudinal loads for different load categories from EN 12663-1 have minimal impact on the car body's structural weight. Furthermore, the location of heavy equipment like batteries has a negligible impact on the structural car body mass as well, featuring similar structural results. The findings suggest that normative boards should revaluate the necessity of distinct longitudinal loads for car body development.