Design of Composite Sandwich Shock Absorber Mounting for an Innovative Rail Vehicle End

This paper describes the design of composite shock absorber mounting for an innovative rail vehicle end in which structural, crash and aerodynamic functionalities are realized in a single integrated element. An experimental activity has been conducted in order to characterize the basic stiffness and strength parameters of the selected composite material. Results of the material characterization have been used for the laminate composite material card of the FE software. The computational analysis has been performed to optimize the sandwich configuration of the composite component and to assess the structural requirements. The final configuration of the composite sandwich shock absorber mounting exhibits strength and stiffness that are very close to the existing metallic one with a significant weight saving. The activities have been performed in the context of the Italian research project “SCILLA-M” (Structures, Innovative Components, Light Applications for Metro) funded by the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research).