Composites in Transportation - Indian Scenario Sangeeta Baksi & Soumitra Biswas Abstract For a mass transit system, lighter

bodied coaches are instrumental for achieving higher speed. Now, more and more rolling stock parts are made of composites, which also resist corrosion and have excellent workability. Concerted efforts are being made by the users for ushering the usage of composites in various applications in transportation. In view of the crucial need for developing indigenous capability in composite technology, the Advanced Composites Programme of Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC) has launched a number of projects focusing on composite applications in mass transportation including house-boats for tourism. The paper discusses in detail the indigenous efforts & case studies towards technology development and usage of composite products in transportation sector. Introduction Composite materials are increasingly being used in transportation sector where the resulting performance improvements and cost reductions are significant. Weight savings of up to 50% for structural and 75% for non-structural applications bring associated benefits of high-speed, reduced power consumption, lower inertia, less track wear and the ability to carry greater payloads. Composites find major applications in mass transportation for excellent structural properties and improved aesthetics. For a mass transit system, lighter bodied coaches/locomotives are instrumental for achieving higher speed. Composites also provide greater versatility in design and optimization of performance (e.g. lowering the centre of gravity to enhance stability). High stiffness from structural materials reduces (even eliminates) supporting framework, increases passenger room, carries fittings readily. A modular construction (interchangeable panels with standard dimensions) of composites is easy to handle & install. Due to its fire resistant characteristics, it also allows full safety to the entire system. The composites have been identified as a potential material for its application in the Indian Railways. Concerted efforts are being made by the Research, Designs & Standards Organization (RDSO)-Lucknow, Rail Coach Factory (RCK)-Kapurthala & Integral Coach Factory (ICF)Chennai for ushering the usage of composites in various railway applications; the need for composite applications arises to realize higher train speed, lower production, operation & maintenance cost for carriages, lower energy consumption, minimal environmental impact, lower noise level and improved passenger comforts & aesthetics Some of the carriage components such as louvre & glass shutters, window sill & guides, window frames, modular toilets & main doors, trays for battery boxes have already been developed in FRP composite and inducted in large quantities by Indian Railways.

The usage of composites has been initiated in coach components viz. axle box covers, modular interior panel & partition, interior furnishing & seating, roofing panels, double deck flooring, main door for EMU coaches etc. Other components such as front ends for DMU locomotives, FRP gear-cases for diesel & electric locos and FRP sleepers for railway girder bridges have also been developed successfully. The sleeper berth backing has been developed in natural fibre composite towards elimination of plywood usage in the coaches. The automotive industry is a significant contributor to the manufacturing sector. The world automotive market is dominated by three major manufacturers in North America, Japan, and Europe. Requirement for reductions in energy use and lower emissions levels along with emerging market regions drive the interest of using composite for the automotive sector. Significant changes on a broad spectrum would be required to make advanced composites attractive for widespread commercial use in cars and trucks. However there are opportunities for advanced composites in specific components in the commercial automotive sector. In specialty vehicles of several types, produced in small numbers composite materials can enjoy a niche for their performance benefits, apart from the requirements of the competitive marketplace. Automobiles segment of composites accounts for about 50% of the thermoplastic and 24% of the thermoset composite market in the world. Glass-reinforced thermoplastic polymer is a promising material for weight reduction because of the relatively low cost of the fibre, its fast cycle time and its ability to facilitate parts integration. All such products are fabricated by extrusion through properly designed dies. Thermoplastic composite is consistent & uniform in properties due to intimate compounding of resin & natural fibre/filler. While positioned against wood, they score much better in terms of dimensional stability, no water absorption and hence, no swelling in moist weather, better fungal resistance, reduced thermal linear expansion etc. New applications include under body panels, front-end modules, and door panels, door & head liners, ducting, rear shelves, spare tyre covers, truck floors etc. The other area, which holds promise for the coming decade, is the use of metal matrix composites (MMC) for certain auto components. The main advantage of such composite material systems is that their physical, mechanical and thermal properties are tailorable and can drastically surpass those of reinforced metals. MMC can be extruded, forged, cast, rolled, machined, and heat-treated. Transportation applications represent one of the largest demand segments for MMCs, and include turbine and combustion engine components, disc brakes and brake parts, and drive shaft components. Because of their unique properties, metal matrix composites are also gaining interest in a host of high performance applications across a number of industries. In view of the crucial need for developing indigenous capability in composite technology, the

Advanced Composites Programme of Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC) has launched a number of projects focusing on composite applications in mass transportation sector. The paper discusses in detail the indigenous efforts & case studies towards technology development and usage of composite products in transportation such as Indian Railways, automotive industry, mass transit as in Sky Bus and also in house boat for tourism & high-speed planing type boats. 2. Composite for Railways 2.1. Gear-Case for Railway Locomotives (Project Partners: M/s. Permali Wallace Ltd., Bhopal and Regional Research Lab, Bhopal) Composite gear-cases for the traction motors for diesel & electric locomotives were developed under the project. The product innovation involved staggered fibre lay-up with rounded edges to reduce stress concentration thus preventing edge cracking due to ballast hits and leakage of expensive lubricating medium as experienced in case of steel ones. Composite gear-cases were fabricated by Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) process using heated stainless steel moulds with a combination of CSM & woven glass mats as reinforcement and epoxy resin system. Over 400 Kgs. weight saving was achieved for a diesel locomotive. Composite gear-cases are expected to last for 6 years in service as against merely 2-3 years of conventional steel gear-case. The gearcases after successful field trials are being inducted by the railways. Jute-Coir Composite Boards as Wood Substitute (Project Partner: M/s. Natura Fibretech Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore) Natural fibres, as a substitute for glass fibres in composite components, have gained interest in the last decade, especially in the housing sector. Jute-coir composite boards were developed under the project with face jute veneer & coir/rubber wood inside. Two categories of composite boards for plywood substitute (jute + rubber wood + coir) and MDF substitute (jute + coir) were developed with superior performance, properties and price advantages. The natural fibre composite boards are water proof, strong & rigid and can be nailed & screwed. They can be painted, polished or laminated. Jute-coir boards (8 ft. x 4 ft. x 6 mm thick) were used as berth backing material by ICF/Indian Railways. These natural fibre composite boards have made excellent in-roads to CPWD, BSNL, Govt. of Karnataka and others. Energy Efficient Axial Flow Fans (Project Partners: M/s. Parag Fans & Cooling Systems Ltd., Dewas and IIT-Bombay) The axial flow fans are widely used for providing required airflow for heat & mass transfer operations in various industrial equipment and processes. The project focused on developing composite impellers with improved aerodynamic profiles for required airflow & pressure while

reducing shaft power. Lightweight composite fans also ensure a low moment of inertia, minimum wear & stress on motor, bearing and drive system. Hollow composite blades reduce material & installation costs and possibility of damage to the fan & drive during sudden stops. Five fans for cooling towers for power plants, mine ventilation, air heat exchanger, radiator cooling for diesel locomotive and textile mill humidification were developed. The performance of all the above fans was tested in actual field conditions with a considerable efficiency differential over the conventional ones with metallic impellers. The radiator cooling fans (1680 mm dia.; 89-103 mm WG pressure; 75-79 KW shaft power), developed successfully for diesel locomotives, were inducted by Indian Railways. Axial fans with composite impellers offer payback period of 3-9 months at current energy rates.

Modular Toilets for Passenger Coaches (Project Partners: M/s. Hindustan Fibre Glass Works, Vadodara and IIT-Bombay)
The toilets for Indian Railways are integrally built with the coach and they cause under-carriage corrosion requiring frequent repairs. The project addressed development of aesthetically appealing modular composite toilets so that they could be retrofitted in the existing space envelope. The modular toilet unit consists of flooring trough, one L-shaped sidewall, another C-shaped side wall & roof. All the four parts could be assembled inside the coach. The composite toilet unit is lightweight, corrosion resistant, fire retardant and it has longer life with easy maintainability. These toilets are being inducted on large scale by Indian Railways and they have approved eight suppliers so far for their fabrication. The project bagged the Certificate of Merit in industrial design in 2001 by the Consultancy Development Centre/DSIR.

Composite Main Doors for Passenger Coaches (Project Partners: M/s. Urbane Industries, Chennai & IITBombay)
The project aimed at developing cost effective and corrosion resistant composite main doors for passenger coaches as replacement of heavy steel doors. There has been a reduction of around 200 Kgs. in weight for four composite doors per passenger coach. Apart from reduced weight, there have been direct benefits in fuel saving, no corrosion, reduced

wear & tear of mechanical components and less maintainability. Composite door was designed with strength identical to that of the steel door. These doors would have 10-12 years of maintenance free life compared to 3-4 years of steel door. Further to the successful field trials of composite doors, they were inducted by Indian Railways.

Under Carriage Water Tanks (Project Partners: M/s. Kineco Pvt. Ltd., Pilerne/Goa and IIT-Bombay)
The filament wound undercarriage water tanks (4 nos. required per coach) were designed & fabricated for water supply to AC coaches for Indian Railways. As an integral part of the project, 5-axes CNC filament winding system was designed, developed & fabricated and made operational at Kineco. The undercarriage water tanks fitted to an AC III-Tier coach at Lower Parel Workshop of Western Railway successfully underwent an extensive field trial of over 18 months. Being a critical product, the detachment of undercarriage tanks could cause a catastrophic failure for the entire train. Apart from considerable weight savings as achieved in the composite water tanks, their performance was found superior in terms of corrosion, ballast hits as well as cost effectiveness of the product. Efforts are underway for large-scale induction of the composite water tanks. Interiors for Drivers Cabin in Diesel Locomotive for Railways (Project Partners: M/s. Black Burn Co. Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata and IIT-Bombay) In view of a cramped workspace and keen interest by Indian Railways for an ergonomic improvement of drivers cabin interiors for diesel locomotives, the project was launched under the Advanced Composites Programme. The new design of the cabin as evolved has addressed appropriate paneling, comfortable seats, clear visibility, proper arrangement of gauges, provision of space for tools & kit boxes for better operator comforts etc. Also the problems of heat & sound insulation were addressed while developing the cabin interiors. The design of interiors comprising was carried out by IIT-Bombay based on human body clearances, space requirement for ingress & outgress and other ergonomic considerations. The interiors of drivers cabins for two diesel locomotives were furnished with improved aesthetics & ergonomics at Ratlam loco shed/Western Railway for field trials. The users feedback had been quite encouraging. Efforts are underway for wider induction of the composite

interiors by Indian Railways. Interiors for Passenger Coaches (Project Partners: M/s. Century Polymer Industries, Vadodara & IIT-Bombay) The project focused on design & development of composite interiors for an AC-III tier coach for retro-fitment. The space for electrical & AC-panels, lighting, pantry, attendant space and reading lights, switches, fans, bottle holders, tables, mirror etc were addressed in the composite coach interiors. The present problems such as chipping out of the face layer of the PVC floors, disjointing of side panels, unbolting of screws etc. were also taken care in the new coach design. All the sharp edges and corners have been avoided for preventing any cause of injury in case of an accident. Design & fabrication of most of the composite components for the 8-berth bay viz. the wall panels, ceiling & flooring along with various fittings & fixtures have been completed. Modular composite partition panels with integrated berths were designed. For the side lower berth, the new design with three blocks arrangement has been accepted by Indian Railways. On approval of the prototype by the Indian Railways, a passenger coach would be refurbished and subjected to field trials for six months. Composite Bracket Assembly for Overhead Railway Electric Traction (Project Partner: M/s. Permali Wallace Ltd., Bhopal) The project aims at design & development of composite bracket assembly for overhead electric traction substituting the existing GI structure. The composite bracket assembly is completely corrosion resistant thus calling for reduced maintenance. These insulators are lighter, have high solidity, better flexibility, dust refusing, with improved tracking & erosion resistance, secure power installation etc. The bracket assembly would be fully insulated with no electrical failures as the creepage distances would be increased sufficiently. The product would be durable with longer service life compared to that of the conventional GI bracket assembly. A few resin formulations were studied in detail to arrive at particular system suited for outdoor application with good insulation properties. The specifications for composite bracket assembly have been finalized in consultation with RDSO and the prototype development is underway. 3. Composite for Mass Transit 3.1 Composite Sky Bus Coaches

(Project Partners: M/s. Kineco Pvt. Ltd., Pilerne/Goa & IIT-Bombay) A unique idea in mass transit: the Sky Bus was conceptualized & internationally patented by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. Sky Bus coaches are suspended from bogies, which run on overhead rails supported over vertical columns erected at regular intervals in the road median. Design of the Sky Bus coach is based on the principle of shear free monocouque structure. The load is transferred onto the top bogie through vertical suspenders, which attach to the floor. The floor is in the shape of a tray. While most of the coach (exterior & interiors) is made of composites and plastics, the entire load is carried by a steel structure consisting of `D frames. The project addressed aesthetically designed concept, shape and form, structure, chassis design and interior & exterior panels for cladding, design of door & interior space for ceiling, lighting, air-conditioning, hold rails, seating, flooring etc. Each coach measuring 9.25m x 3.15m x 2.40m is meant to carry 150 passengers; two such coaches run in tandem. Trial runs of Sky Bus system were successfully carried out during December 2004-July 2005. Technology demonstration of Sky Bus was completed on a 1.60 Kms. long Sky track constructed in Madgaon. The coach body i.e. walls, roof & floor of the coach is made out of composites. The composite construction comprises double-walled glass polyester sandwich of two composite skins (inner & outer) with PU foam as core material. The large windows all over the coach were made using transparent polycarbonate material. The doors of the coach are pneumatically operated and open side ways along the length of the coach. The composite Sky Bus coach had met the stipulated performance requirements and the efforts for its commercial induction are underway. 4. Composite for Automobiles 4.1 Development of Composite Components for High-End Passenger Buses (Project Partner: M/s. Tech-Force Composites Pvt. Ltd., Indore) The project aimed at design & development of passenger bus components viz. front & rear panels, front grill, front & rear bumper, dash board & engine hood with improved aesthetics mainly for international market by providing unique styling and components standardization. One complete set of prototype components was supplied to their client in Abu Dhabi. The development & fabrication of bus components involved initial sketching/drawings, generation of 3D model, rendering, development of templates, mould development & finally prototype fabrication. These sets of components were fabricated using spray-up and RTM process and dispatched to M/s. Trans Continental LLC, Abu Dhabi for actual use in the bus. The feedback has been very encouraging. A high demand for such composite components for bus bodies is likely to generate

by the users from India and abroad. Development of Filament Wound Composite Road Tankers (Project Partner: M/s. Modern Engineering Plastics Pvt. Ltd. (MEPPL), Mettur, Tamil Nadu) The project aims at design & development of composite road tankers for transportation of corrosive acids, chemicals etc. using 4-axes filament winding system launched in partnership with M/s. Modern Engineering Plastics Pvt. Ltd. (MEPPL), Mettur, Tamil Nadu with technology support from NGN Composites, Chennai. The helical & polar winding processes have helped make the main shell and ends of the tanker in one piece without any sharp joints. Indias first prototype filament wound composite road tanker with typical cross section for horizontal mounting on truck was successfully developed under the aforesaid project. The prototype composite tanker has a capacity of 15.12 KL (length: 5.70 m, width: 2.10 m & height: 1.60 m) and weight of 1.16 MT. 12 mm thick filament wound composite layer was provided on 2.50 mm thick resin rich chemically passive liner to give a total thickness of 14.50 mm for the tanker. A net weight saving of about 1.00 MT could be achieved in case of composite tanker as compared to steel one of identical capacity. Additional carrying capacity for the composite tanker makes it further cost effective. 5. Composite for Water Transport 5.1 Development of Composite House Boat (Project Partners: M/s. Samudra Shipyard Pvt. Ltd., Aroor, IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay) The project aimed at improved aesthetics, boat stability, comfort level & maintainability, has been completed. A multi-disciplinary approach was adopted for seeking expertise in hull design, testing, fabrication, design of superstructure, interiors, amenities etc. The houseboat design involved hydrodynamic profile for hull, bulkheads, ballasts, propulsion system, fabrication of sandwich composite hull, deck & superstructure. The superstructure has been designed for improved space utilization, aesthetics and ergonomics of the area with detailed design of bedrooms, toilets, dining area, lounge, kitchen etc. including design of panels, partitions & other interiors. The modular superstructure consists of 9 parts requiring only 3 moulds for fabricating the half modules. The total composite parts used in the hull, deck & superstructure of the houseboat weighed ~19.20 tons. The pagoda style roof with flat ceiling air gap inside bedrooms provides good thermal insulation. The superstructure accommodates two bedrooms with large windows & attached toilets, 1.0-m

wide passage, living room with open deck, kitchen & crew toilet. Bamboo composite flooring, developed under a project of the Advanced Composites Programme, was laid in bedrooms. Propulsion system has been housed with anti-vibration mountings. For noise-free operation, highly resilient acoustic barrier was used in the engine enclosure. Polymer concrete ballasts were added inside the hull to improve boat stability. Six bulkheads were provided in the hull to isolate the hull puncture and water leakage. 6. Conclusion While a few initiatives were taken in ushering composites in Indian transportation sector under the Advanced Composites Programme of TIFAC, the country has to go a long way in catching up with the international trends & developments. Apart from knowledge-critical civil aviation sector, a whole lot of efforts & initiatives are called for improving the aesthetics & effectiveness of the Indian transportation sector encompassing railways, automotives & watercrafts. By developing common, repeatable and affordable fabricating methods, composites would have broad acceptance by the end user. The resin manufacturer also needs to develop industry-wide standard resins and adhesives for specific applications, eliminating the time and expense of re-qualification of new products. This would urgently call for an infusion of technology & expertise to the composite fabricators of the country. This requirement of high order of technological expertise would warrant support from national agencies in terms of design, material selection, process technology and product performance