Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites Help Innovation Journey of Bullet Trains
On August 12 local time, during a live dialogue on the social platform X with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, former US president Donald Trump said that it is “unreasonable” that the United States does not have high-speed rail. He said: “Bullet trains… They are incredibly fast and incredibly comfortable, without any problems. But our country doesn’t have anything like that, not even anything close.”
However, do you know what ideal combinations carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites, such as nylon PA6 CF20, PA66 CF30, ABS CF10, PPA CF40 and PP LCF20 can have with bullet trains? This article will take you on a wonderful journey to understand their technological innovation.
In the cutting-edge field of modern high-speed transportation, bullet trains have always attracted the world’s attention with their astonishing speed and highly efficient transportation capacity. However, in order to continuously improve the performance of the trains and create a better travel experience for passengers, innovations in the field of materials science have never stopped and have always played a pivotal role. Among them, the emergence of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites developed by Carbon (Xiamen) New Material has brought about a revolutionary change of epoch-making significance to bullet trains.
Let’s first explore in depth the outstanding performance advantages of this magical material. Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites exhibit an extraordinary strength-to-weight ratio, which means that while providing high strength, its own weight can remain at a relatively light level. This feature is crucial for bullet trains running at high speeds on the tracks. Because the significant reduction in the train’s own weight can greatly reduce energy consumption and thereby significantly improve operational efficiency.
Not only that, it also has outstanding fatigue resistance and strong impact resistance. Just imagine, during the high-speed running of the train, it will constantly withstand violent impacts from vibrations and various external forces. However, this magical material produced by Carbon (Xiamen) New Material can tenaciously withstand the tests of this long time, thus firmly ensuring the stability and safety of the train structure.
In addition, its good heat resistance should not be underestimated. When the train is running at breakneck speed, a large amount of heat will be continuously generated during the operation of friction and electrical systems. However, this material can still maintain excellent performance under such a high-temperature harsh environment without easily deforming or failing.
With these significant advantages, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites have shone brightly on bullet trains. For example, the train’s body shell part has resolutely adopted this advanced material. Compared with traditional metal materials, it not only makes the body more lightweight and flexible but also makes the shape more streamlined and beautiful, greatly reducing air resistance, thereby further improving the train’s running speed and energy utilization efficiency.
In the internal structure of the train, the seat frame also benefits from the application of this composite material. Its high-strength characteristics provide a rock-solid guarantee for the stability and safety of the seat, allowing passengers to feel at ease and secure even when traveling at high speeds. At the same time, given the excellent fatigue resistance of the material itself, the seats can withstand long-term high-frequency use and the frequent flow of bustling passengers without being prone to any damage or deformation.
Let’s take a look at the electrical system components of the train. The ingenious application of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites has effectively enhanced the heat resistance and impact resistance of the components. This means that the electrical system can operate more stably and reliably, significantly reducing the probability of failure and providing a solid guarantee for the normal operation of the train.
Moreover, the recyclability of this material is undoubtedly a notable highlight. When the train needs to be upgraded or retired, these components made of composite materials can be systematically recycled and reused, perfectly in line with the grand concept of sustainable development.
The wide application of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites in bullet trains has fully exerted its outstanding performance advantages, opening a door full of unlimited possibilities for the field of high-speed transportation. It not only significantly improves the performance and safety of the train but also brings a more comfortable, pleasant and convenient travel experience to passengers, making our future travel journey more beautiful and full of endless expectations and longings!
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics: 5 Main Applications in Bullet Trains
1. Body shell: The body shell carefully made of carbon fiber filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS CF) thermoplastic composites such as PPS CF20% composites can effectively guarantee the high standards of strength and stiffness, significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle body to a great extent, effectively reduce energy consumption, and contribute to improving the running speed of the train.
2. Interior wall panels: The carbon fiber added polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composite like PEEK CF30 and PEEK LCF20 wall panels of the same thickness can not only easily meet the strict requirements in terms of strength but also achieve a lighter quality goal with a simpler structure and exhibit good corrosion resistance, thereby successfully extending the service life.
3. Driver’s cab console panel: For example, after the driver’s cab console panel of a certain type of high-speed rail vehicle uses the carbon fiber modified polycarbonate (PC) compounds like PC resins with 10% carbon fiber filled provided by Carbon (Xiamen) New Material, compared with the previous metal console panel, the weight has been successfully reduced by 45%, the strength has been significantly increased by 25%, and it performs even better in terms of corrosion resistance. Even after long-term use, it can still maintain good performance and a perfect appearance.
4. Bogie frame: The bogie for railway vehicles carefully uses suspension-functioning CF combined polyamide (PA) composites like nylon 6 CF30 and polyamide 66 30%CF to carefully make leaf springs. Compared with the traditional steel frame, the weight has been successfully reduced by about 40%, equivalent to a reduction of 900kg per vehicle, significantly improving energy utilization and successfully reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
5. Equipment compartment: The long carbon fiber reinforced polyetherimide (PEI) composites for manufacturing the equipment compartment can effectively reduce the weight. At the same time, it has better mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance, effectively ensuring the stability and reliability of the equipment compartment during the train’s operation.
Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites have a series of advantages such as extremely low density, extremely high strength, excellent fatigue resistance, excellent corrosion resistance, and outstanding thermal stability. Their wide application in rail vehicles can successfully achieve a series of grand goals such as lightweight vehicle bodies, significantly improved bearing capacity, significantly extended service life, and effectively reduced noise. However, in the actual application process, which specific materials are used will still be comprehensively affected by various complex factors such as cost, complexity of the manufacturing process, and strictness of technical requirements.
Post time: Aug-14-2024