Skip to main content

Talgo's lean Aluminium manufacturing powers super-fast and safe travel (2/2)


Hello! And welcome back to our blog post on TALGO trains. TALGO recently held speed trials in India for its 9 series unit. Let's continue from where we left off and talk about how achieving such high speeds is made possible by the Spanish manufacturer.

Read our 1st post on the Spanish TALGO trains here for more on this topic.

TALGO trains boast of superior sustainability and safety features in the new age trains in addition to increasing the passenger comfort without compromising on the high speed proposition. The use of hi-tech sensors and microprocessors ensure that the train’s vibration are minimized by automatically adjusting the suspension system through a robust feedback system.

The present trains running in India have been reported to be employing technology which is outdated by 3 decades. The amplified use of instrumentation and real-time feedback systems in the engine and the coaches are still to be incorporated in the present technological arsenal of the railway transportation. In addition to this, mechanical advancements and strict railway regulations have also made the European trains safer and much energy efficient. The ‘dynamometric axle’ in the Spanish trains is an example of what we are talking about. It determines the contact force between the wheel and the rail, evaluating the quality of the roll of the wheels. This lowers the chances of derailment in adverse environment conditions and uneven terrain.

Talgo’s trademark high-speed maneuvers couldn’t have been possible without stringent controls and checks on the weight of the coaches. The most widely used metal component in the manufacturing of these coaches is aluminium. The structure of the train down to every small detail that implicates the trains’ performance is designed and simulated to perfection. According to the manufacturer, “The energy efficiency and the resulting enhanced sustainability of Talgo trains is largely achieved by the continuing effort to reduce the weight in each and every component that makes up the train. The lightness of Talgo trains and the improved energy results achieve lower ratios of acceleration and deceleration, i.e., these processes of acceleration and deceleration are accomplished in less time.”

Talgo's superior instrumentation technology used in wheels

In our previous post, we had talked about the ‘Guided axles & independent wheels’. This has specifically been designed to achieve the above claim. Talgo has discarded steel in its manufacturing for aluminium for its lightness, durability, and non-corrosive property. Using selected lightweight aluminum alloys has also empowered them to gain even more sturdiness than steel. They have not shied away from using the best alloys created by recent technology from other sectors such as aerospace, naval, and wind turbines for the purpose of creating a lighter structure. Furthermore, compensation of the extra weight has been carried out by redesigning other elements of the train like seats, handrails, aisles, furniture, fairings, flooring, etc. The strange nose of the train has been precisely modified for maximizing the aerodynamics of the speeding train.

Talgo coach interior

Here are some quick facts that may interest you:
  • Talgo 250 was the first high-speed train to run in Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, it runs on a daily basis.
  • A typical 9-coach Talgo train consists of 2 Executive Class cars, 4 Chair Cars, a cafeteria, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment.
  • Talgo train coaches could save up to Rs 1 crore as compared to the LHB coaches used in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains given their claim of low maintenance.
  • It has the technology to keep interiors pleasant even when the temperature outside crosses 50 degree Celsius or drops below -20 degree Celsius.


  • Railways' energy bill could be reduced tentatively by 30%, as its light weight manufacturing using aluminum and aluminium alloys would result in lower energy consumption.
  • There would be no requirement of overhauling the tracks if the trains were to be run in India, unlike Japanese trains.
  • Amenities like footrests, reading lights, tables, audio entertainment control, etc. are provided for every individual seat. The trains also come with monitors for video entertainment, shower units, in-house restaurant and a cafeteria car for passenger coaches.


References:


 Picture credits: TALGO
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most read articles

Aluminium in guitars – It's all music to our ears

Think of a guitar and the classic wooden version comes to mind. There are hundreds of types and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some passionate players even go for custom made guitars just to suit their movements and taste. The simple guitar is still evolving with newer uses of the instruments in concerts and other forms of music. The use of wood in the body and the neck of a guitar is not going to cease in a long time. However, the use of other selected materials by modern guitar manufacturers has significantly improved the sound quality and handling of the guitars. “Manufacturers were making custom guitars from solid billeted aluminum. I was still in graduate school and couldn’t afford such instruments. So I decided to make a competitively priced guitar. Instead of wood or plastic, I opted to use 0.080-in. aircraft-grade aluminum sheet metal because of its quality and durability,” says the then-future CEO of Normandy Guitars. Aluminium Guitar The use of Alumin
82 comments
Read more

Aluminium extrusions - The ultimate value addition of Aluminium downstream

From simple paper clips to complex pieces used in advanced technology, aluminium extrusions are created in various shapes and sizes for value added end use utilizations. The computer you are using right now contains at least one aluminium profile in the form of a heat sink. This takes advantage of aluminium’s excellent thermal conductivity, unique anodising capability and freedom of design to keep your computer’s processor cool. Different cross sections of extrusions Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile. A special tool called a ‘die’ is used to create these extrusions by cutting or shaping the material with the help of a press. These dies are customized to create the wanted design. The process involves the pressing of a pre-heated solid cylinder of aluminium (billet) which is forced through the die opening. The billets are heated to a temperature range of 350 – 500 degrees Celsius. Aluminium does not glow when heated ye
35 comments
Read more

The choice is clear - Aluminium body for high end smartphones

A lot of phone companies are trying to build slim and sturdy phones for the ever growing market of steroid enhanced hardware capabilities. With phone manufacturers stuffing more RAM and precision cameras in the modern phones, the weight and robustness of the frames becomes all the more important. Today, some manufactures prefer a fiber body to reduce the overall weight in comparison to metal bodies. However, there’s something which still draws a larger advocacy of using aluminium bodies instead of a plastic or fiber. In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs penned an open letter highlighting changes to the company's environmental policy in hopes of achieving "a greener Apple." In the letter, Jobs specifically noted the Mac maker's adoption of aircraft-grade aluminum in order to improve recycling uptake. Apart from the cost reduction implications, Apple is strongly in favor of aluminium usage in all its products for improving its year on year recycling capabilities with
20 comments
Read more

Aluminium vs. Steel - (1) The changing tides in the automotive sector

To Steel or not to Steel… That is the question. To Aluminium… This might be the answer. The automobile industry is the one constantly shifting tides in technology and design to achieve perfection and quality. Everything is done with precision to maximise the output from the machines with as few resources as possible. After all, this is necessary as natural resources are limited and so are the resources which people can spare for an economical, ergonomic and environment-friendly vehicle of personal transportation. Moreover, safety is an important issue that the engineers keep at priority as people’s lives are at stake. Aluminium body is the preferred material in sports cars With car manufacturers around the world trying to pack in more punch with their offerings, the fight for better fuel efficiency and safety of the automobiles has intensified. With cutting edge designing and engineering capabilities, car manufacturers have carefully selected the materials and technology to
22 comments
Read more

Did we just chance upon a source for clean fuel powered by water & aluminium?

Source: Getty A team of researchers at the US Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland made a chance discovery when they poured water on a new aluminium alloy they were testing. It began to give off hydrogen immediately! Exciting enough? Well, let us rewind this recent ground-breaking discovery and allow it to sink in slowly as you read on. Hydrogen stands at number one on the periodic table; it is the most abundant element in the Universe. It is found in the sun and most of the stars and the planet Jupiter is composed mostly of hydrogen. On Earth, Hydrogen is prevalent in the form of plenteously available chemical compounds such as hydrocarbons and water. Some see hydrogen gas as the clean fuel of the future – generated from water and returning to water when it is oxidised . Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are increasingly being seen as ‘pollution-free’ sources of energy and are now being used in some buses and cars. Although clean and
17 comments
Read more