T RAN S P 0 R T ..................................................... ................ .. ..... ......... .... ......... ................... ......... .. .... _ .............. , .............. ..

INP SU
OF SP ............ D
Ho eep
o
new era of high-speed
rail will be ushered in
later this year when
t esting of the fastest
production train in Europe finally
gets under way. The Bombardier
Zefiro V300, with its striking long
nose and sleek aerodynamic
construction , will set pulses racing
as it hurtles along the tracks at a
phenomenally rapid 360km/h.
Italian state-owned railway
operator Trenitalia will be forgiven
for revelling in the glory of
unleashing such a state-of-the-art
train. But, away from the spotlight ,
in an office in Derby, a small group
of British engineers will also enjoy a
sense of satisfaction for the hugely
important role that they have played
on the ground-breaking project.
These engineers, 35 or so in
number, make up Bombardier's UK
bogies division. And it is these men
and women who have developed
the active suspension-enabled
bogies that wi ll allow the V300 to
reach its top speed, whil'e handling
the enormous loads involved.
Nathan Cartwright, head of
design at Bombardier's bogies
division, is rightly proud of the
team's achievements. He uses a
comparison with motorsport to
highlight the challenges: "To put it
into context ," he says. "a Formula
One racing car weighs about 650kg
and achieves maximum speeds of
around 300km/ h. It carries one
person and the engi ne is designed
to last only for a few races.
"Each Zefiro bogie will travel for
long periods at 360km/h with a load
of up to 32 ,000kg upon it and have
its first major overhaul after five
years, during which it will have
travelled 2.5 mill ion km. While the
demands upon the two products are
obviously diife'ent. the engineering
accompl ishment is surely equal."
Chi ef engineer Justin Keeley
puts it another ,!ay. "This is
mechanical engmeering at its li mit
- in terms 0 ' fatigue. analysis and
structural design. And the great
thing IS that Ir s Botisn."
The story 0 1- 0\,.' this world-class
cluster of bog't; expenise came to
be can be ex lafned by the fr actured
nature 0' railway hislOry. Some of
the divisio" s engineers started thei r
careers at Brrt sh Rail. before
privatisatio
r
and a series of
takeovers - In a ving companies
such as ABS and Aduanz - led
eventuaJl :0 he bogies team being
housed at 6ombardier's Litchurch
Lane tram -manu'acturing site in
Derby. The 'acillty now boasts a rare
mix of people a d ski lls, and can
produce ccmple:e bogie designs,
including ve ,cl e suspension,
wheel-sets. drivetrain and brakes.
Historicall . [nost of the bogie
division's ' : ! o r ~ has supported
Bombardier's 'T'ainline train-building
programmes. such as the current
contract to rr. ake 130 class 377
veh icles for Southern at the Derby
plant. Typicall y, the work will include
a full package of services - from
initial understanding of client
requirements through to concept
and detailed bogie design, as well
integration with traction and
gearbox suppliers.
Cartwright says: "The detailed
design phase often requires the use
of finite element analysis to define
the structural performance of all the
components, making sure all the
relevant standards are worked to, all
the equipment has enough space
around it, and all the tolerances are
correct.
"Th roughout the whole process,
we work with the train
manufacturing team to ensure it can
all be produced in the most
cost-effective way. It 's a typical
convergent process - it starts wide
and tapers down quickly."
While the bogies division has a
central role in all UK train-building
programmes at the Derby site, the
quality of its work means it is also
winning a strong reputation
internationally. Bombardier has sold
20 JULY 2 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING
I
:9fine
'all the
:he
j to, all
pace
:es are
Gcess,
e it can
: .di
3 wide
has a
di ng
e. the
, also
3 5 sold
- ,of thousands of bogies to
- - - 3. as the emerging economic
rapidly expands its
2Y network. Much of the design
_ Jevelopment work on those
-'"acts has taken place at Derby.
- jeed, it was a Bombardier
_ -= designed for the Chinese
'- e! that acted as the basis for
contract. Keeley says:
nltial product was designed in
- : :9 and manufactured in our
- factory."
IS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT ITS
, IN TERMS OF FATIGUE, ANALYSIS AND
UCTURAL DESIGN - AND IT'S BRITISH
But the team had to do things
differently for Italy, he adds. "We
realised the requirements for the
Italian market were different from
those for China. There were
differences in the kinds of welding
accepted, the supply base, and the
requirements of the safety analysis.
There's a different homologation
process. The standards are different.
We had to use an Italian wheel-set
designer, and it might wallt to
manufacture in a different way
maybe shrink-fitting rather than
push-fitting the wheels on."
The end solution offered for
Trenitalia was an active lateral
suspension design - a bogie
technology that provides a way of
manipulating the suspension,
principally to achieve a better ride
for passengers. The design features
a hydraulic actuator that sits
between the bogie frame and the
carbody, making it possible to
influence lateral movement.
On straight track, the carbody
"floats" on secondary suspension air
springs wl1"ich have a low lateral
stiffness. When the train goes
through a curve, the bogie follows
the curve first, bringing the carbody
with it. What controls this movement
are the lateral bumpstops between
the bogie and carbody centre pin.
The low lateral stiffness of the
secondary suspension allows the
carbody to move laterally during
curving until there is bumpstop
contact, which then ensures the car
follows the bogie.
The problem with bumpstops is
that they have to be stiff to limit the
movement of the heavy vehicle
during curving. This rise in stiffness
affects the lateral ride quality of the
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING JULY 2013 %1
.. ............. .. .............. ........ .. ........ ..... .... .......... ............. ............ .... ........................... .................... .... _... .. ... .... ..... ...... .... .. ................................................ T RAN S P 0 R T
o
vehicle, which makes things less from the Derby operation.
comfortable for the passengers. At ;..valicn The first Zefiro V300 train for
f-Jigh speeds, the force transferred to Trenitalia has now been built by
,he carbody during curving becomes Bombardier in conjunction with its
l1uch higher, and the passenger ride partner, the rail transport engineering
comfort deteriorates significantly. giant Ansaldo Breda, and will soon
At 360km/h, the bogie frame undergo slow-speed testing in Italy.
undergoes violent forces and Keeley says: "When the first bogie
which are transferred was welded up in Poland, this
i o the rubber bumpstops. So the complicated frame of 100plus
::arbody goes from a position of low plates worked perfectly. It was a
ateral stiffness to a rapidly successful jigsaw that had an
1creasing bumpstop stiffness, elegance and simplicity of form.
'esulting in greater force There were some modifications in
:ransmission to the carbody that the the wiring, but we were delighted
:Jassengers can feel. with the mechanical side of things."
The Bombadier engineers have Later this year, a super
2,0'\3
:ackled this problem. "With active "The Chinese bogie didn't have s: ructural mechanics point of view." lightweight trailer bogie based on an
3teral suspension," says Cartwright, that. We designed il in. It wasn't jJst The design and development of existing Bombardier design used for
the actuator software analyses a a case of exchanging the lateral t'1e active lateral suspension bogie the UK Voyager and Meridian trains
series of input signals from damper for a hydraulic actuator - ': .' '2 '::asn't the end of the work in Derby. will be manufactured for the
;ccelerometers on the bogie and had to redesign the central section T'1e team's engineers were required 250km/ h ICx regional trains to be
:arbody. It then applies force inputs of the frame to take it. And because :0 ensure it was fit for manufacture, made by Siemens for the German
' 0 the carbody to condition the ride it's a hydraulic actuator, it needed an and they got fully involved with railway operator Deutsche Bahn.
;nd prevent bumpstop contact oil-cooling mechanism which had : 0 oroduction of the first prototypes. The concept for the ICx bogies was
: Jring curving. It is this reduction in go in the middle of the frame. That These were manufactured at also piloted out of the Derby office,
:umpstop contact that improves the had implications for frame stiffness. 30mbardier's Siegen facility in with Deutsche Bahn being
. de performance. There were challenges from a Germany, with full technical support specifically keen to tap into the
team 's expertise in inboard bearing
bogie technology.
This unconventional bogie layout
offers a low-weight frame and
Innovative flexible frame bogies Underground wanted something building the S stock for the
wheel-set solution, and reduced
that can cope with challenging that could deal with track subsurface lines. This model is
unsprung mass. The res'ult is a
track conditions have been irregularities while still being bigger than the deep-line
designed by Bombardier's steady, It didn't want lots of variants, and that has
compact , lightweight but robust
Derby division for London movement and sway," implications for the bogie design with significant operational
Underground's deep-level The solution was a bogie that design. "The S stock for
benefits, such as reduced energy
Victoria and Northern lines, and has two halves, bolted together sub-surface is a lot bigger - the
consumption and noise emission
for its sub-surface Metropolitan, with rubber joints to axle load is higher, and it runs a
and less track damage.
District, Circle, and accommodate track twist. "That bit faster - but essentially it has
The inboard bearing concept
Hammersmith and City lines. design was developed the same design," he says.
harks back to BR's days, says
Justin Keeley, Bombardier's specifically for London The London Underground
chief engineer in the bogies Underground," says Keeley. work will sustain train-making at Keeley. "Much of the work was done
division, says: "With a normal The Litchurch Lane train the Derby plant until at least in the 1980s, and the guys who
bogie, you have four wheels factory in Derby has produced 2015, after which Bombardier
developed it brought it with them to
with a rigid H-frame. But London deep-line versions and is now hopes to win a 600-carriage
Bombardier. It developed within
contract to build the Crossrail
Bombardier from a concept to
trains. But it faces competition
something that works.
from German rival Siemens.
An early day motion put
"For 20 years, the only people
forward by Chris Williamson, using it were in the UK, driven by
Labour MP for north Derby, has track access costs. Then we sold
called on the government to
one to Norwegian railways. And now
make sure the Crossrail trains
everyone is starting to realise that
are built here. Williamson says
this inboard bearing bogie design
the work would guarantee
matches the needs of the world in
10,000 jobs in the East Midlands
and in the supply chain. Without
that it is light . doesn't destroy the
No-sway solution: The
Tube bogie deals with the work, the Bombardier plant track, and reduces overall costs."
track irregularities
will close, ending British train
However, although the Deutsche
while staying steady
manufacturing, he says.
Bahn ICx will use a technology
honed on British railways, the
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING LV 2013 Z3
TRANSPORT .... .... ....... ..... ...... ... .. ... .. ..... .. .... ..... ..... .. .... ... .. ... ...... .... ....... ............ ..... ..... .... .. ...... ..... ...... ....... .......... ....... .. ... .. ... .... .. .. .......... .. .. ...... ...... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ...... .
Bombardier's Litchurch Lane
site in Derby is the only train
manufacturing plant in the UK.
But that is set to change soon,
with Japanese giant Hitachi
building an 82 million facility at
Newton Aycliffe in County
Durham where it will make the
Super Express trains for the
Great Western main line and the
East Coast main line.
The Newton Aycliffe factory
will build 596 cars over the
course of two-and-a-half years,
with production commencing in
2016. The greenfield-site facility
is being overseen by Darren
Cumner, Hitachi's manufacturing
and plant manager, who is
responsible for construction and
fit-out. "It's an exciting time," he
says. "I have been responsible
for new train plants before. But
this is in the UK, so that makes it
high-profile."
Cumner already has a good
idea of what the factory will look
like. Each train carriage will flow
through a maximum of 51
stations, with value added along
the way. The aluminium body
Shells will gradually be filled out
in a defined sequence, starting
with equipment such as
insulation and wiring, then floors
and ceilings, with larger
components such as the heating
and ventilation added towards
the end.
To meet output requirements,
the plant will use a takt time
manufacturing approach, says
Cumner. "Takt times will drive
production of one carriage per
day. Every cycle time on each
station has to be completed in
less than eight hours."
operational characteristics of the
German rail network will mean
design changes for the Bombardier
bogie being supplied.
"For instance," says Cartwright,
"we had to upgrade the frame to
handle increased axle loads. The
bogie concept remained the same,
but it had to be 'Europeanised'. We
had to have a track brake, and
added an extra disc brake in the
middle of the axle. We uprated the
primary and secondary suspension.
a4 .JULY 201.3 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING
The plant will be based on
Hitachi's main production facility
in Japan, so stringent quality
levels can be replicated. Cumner
has been back and forth to the
Japanese plant, learning from
engineering, manufacturing and
logistics teams there. "Hitachi
has been making trains for many
years," he says. "So we have
been going through things
station-by-station, picking up
where the quality control
points are.
"At the moment that is the key
focus for me. Even though we
The focus many years ago was on
large castings, but now it is on
smaller castings. So we redesigned
the frame to suit that."
The Deutsche Bahn project is
now at a critical stage. All the parts
for the first prototypes have been
procured and fabrication will take
place over the summer.
Bombardier's engineers have
worked closely with their Siemens
counterparts on the project,
dispelling any suggestions of
Platform for the future:
The new Hitachi factory
will build Super Express
trains and more
might position each station in a
different sequence, we want to
be sure that our facility produces
the sorts of high-quality trains
that we make in Japan. So the
facilities might look different, the
materials movements might be
different, but the quality gauge
will be the same."
The Newton Aycliffe plant is
also being "future-proofed,"
says Cumner, in anticipation of
other orders. While it will initially
build the Super Express trains,
Hitachi is also bidding to win the
Crossrail rolling stock order and
adversarial rivalries. Siemens is
responsible for the main contract,
with Bombardier providing the trailer
cars and the bogies.
"Deutsche Bahn likes buying
German, but we had the bogie
design that it wanted," says Keeley.
Looking forward, there are other
contracts on the horizon that the
Derby bogie division is keen on
winning. Its Flexx Eco bogie, with
inboard bearing technology. is being
considered for railways in countries
contracts in mainland Europe.
"We are not designing the
factory just for Super Express,
we are designing it to make
trains forever," he says. "We've
got to future-proof it. We know
what the UK rolling requirement
looks like, but we are also taking
into consideration European
gauging and height of trains,
for instance."
New manufacturing
techniques will be introduced
over time. On Super Express, all
the train bodies will be friction
stir welded in Japan. But Hitachi
is looking to transfer that
technology to Newton Aycliffe.
"There is large-scale
technology transfer already,"
says Cumner, "but friction stir
welding here might have been a
risk on this product. We are
risk-averse - that is key to
delivering on time. But we have
a friction stir welding resource in
the UK and we know what
investment will be necessary."
Construction of the Newton
Aycliffe plant is expected to start
at the end of this year. It will
employ 730 people. Fewer than
2% of the workforce will come
from Japan.
Recruitment of engineers will
start soon, adds Cumner. "We
want to put some engineers in
Japan in advance of the start of
production so they become
experts. In the next three
months we will scope that out
and we will be looking for those
people, particularly in the areas
of quality and manufacturing
engineering. There will also be
a long-term mentoring
programme with Japan."
such as Russia and Singapore. "We
also have a launch customer in
Sweden, so there is a lot going on,"
says Cartwright.
A Flexx Eco variant will also be
offered as part of Bombardier'S bid
for the train-building contract for the
Crossrail project. That bogie will
require space for the shoe-gear,
which will mean reworking of the
design. "We are in the final stages of
bidding for Crossrail, and it's fingers
crossed," says Keeley. 0