Lightweight Train Seating Support
A lightweight rail passenger seat support manufactured from a fire-resistant bio-resin prepreg
Composites Evolution, Bercella and Element Materials Technology (Element) have successfully completed the development and testing of a composite cantilever support for rail passenger seating.
The seat support, which is 1 m long but weighs less than 5 kg, has passed a wide range of tests including static loadings and fatigue cycling. It has also met the most stringent requirement, Hazard Level (HL) 3, of rail fire standard EN 45545.
Cantilever seat supports, which are mounted on the wall of a train carriage rather than the floor, offer a number of advantages including improved access for cleaning and luggage storage. The lightweight composite structure also provides advantages in terms of reduced train energy consumption and lower axle loads.
The seat support was manufactured by Bercella using Composites Evolution’s Evopreg® PFC prepreg with a high strength carbon fibre reinforcement. Evopreg® PFC was specified for this application because of its excellent fire performance, low toxicity and outstanding environmental credentials – the base polyfurfuryl alcohol resin is 100% bio-derived.
Brendon Weager, Composites Evolution’s Technical Director, commented “We are delighted with how well Evopreg® PFC has performed for Bercella’s seating concept. Producing composites that are both structural and highly fire-resistant is often challenging, but we’ve passed Element’s tests with flying colours.”
The sear support was also nominated as a finalist in the Land Transportation Category of the 2019 JEC World Awards.
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