Product and Assembly Design for a Fibre Reinforced Plastic Track Wheel

Abstract The design of silent and lightweight components with minimised life cycle costs (LCC) are requirements for modern railroad vehicles. The track wheel as the interface between railroad and vehicle offers a high potential for optimisation. The application of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) in the wheel body simultaneously minimises sound emissions and reduces wear effects by lowering unsprung wheel masses. This paper presents a new modular track wheel design with FRP discs in combination with steel flanges. Several design and assembly alternatives have been analysed and an optimised solution based on numerical simulation and new fibre preform technologies has been selected. With regard to the high security requirements on track wheels, design of specific quality assurance methods and maintenance plans and operations have been assessed.