Design of a Composite Side Beam for the Railway Bogie Frame

Abstract

This study explains the design, manufacturing and test results for a composite side beam. It has been developed to be applied to the railway bogie frame. The bogie frame is a most important component for safety of a railway vehicle. In this study, the dimensions and stacking sequence of the composite beam has been determined by parametric study and manufactured using autoclave curing. It was tested under static loading conditions of 140kN and 182kN to evaluate structural safety and stiffness. In addition, the nondestructive test using radiograph was performed to investigate the internal damage of it before and after the test.