【Haichuan Technology Frontiers】The world’s first carbon fiber subway train launched in Qingdao Sifang
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On January 10, the world’s first carbon fiber subway train, the “CETROVO 1.0 Carbon Star Express”, jointly developed by Qingdao Metro Group and CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., was officially put into service on Qingdao Metro Line 1 for commercial operation. It is reported that the main structural components of the \"Carbon Star Express\", such as its car body and bogie frames, are all made from carbon fiber composite materials; this represents the world’s first commercial use of carbon fiber composites in the main load-bearing structures of subway vehicles. Compared to traditional subways, this carbon fiber subway train has been completely upgraded, offering significant advantages such as being lighter and more energy-efficient, providing greater comfort for passengers, having higher strength, reducing wheel-rail wear, and lowering operational costs. A lighter vehicle is more energy-efficient. Compared to vehicles made of traditional metal materials, the vehicle body weighs 25% less, the bogie frame weighs 50% less, and the overall weight of the vehicle is reduced by about 11%. The vehicle is lighter, which makes it more energy-efficient in operation; energy consumption is reduced by 7%, and each vehicle can cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 130 tons per year, which is equivalent to planting 101 acres of trees. It's more comfortable to ride. Thanks to the use of carbon fiber composites, the vehicle offers improved vibration damping and isolation, resulting in a smoother ride. For the first time in commercial subway trains, active radial bogie technology is employed, which allows for active control of the wheels as they move radially through curves. This significantly reduces the \"howling\" sound that occurs when passing through curves; the noise level during curve negotiation is reduced by 15 decibels, while the noise inside the train is reduced by 2 decibels, resulting in a quieter operation. Higher strength. Compared to metal-bodied trains, the car body of this carbon fiber train has greater strength and a higher safety factor. At the same time, the bogie frame made of carbon fiber composite materials has greater impact resistance, is more fatigue-resistant, and has a longer structural lifespan. There is less wheel-rail wear. The lighter carbon fiber body reduces the vehicle’s axle load, lowering the wheel-rail force by over 15%, thereby reducing wheel-rail wear. The use of active radial bogies also reduces wear on the wheels and tracks. Operational costs are lower. Wheel-rail wear is reduced, and the maintenance required for vehicle wheel sets and tracks is significantly decreased. At the same time, by utilizing digital twin technology, this train features a SmartCare intelligent operation and maintenance platform for carbon fiber trains, which enables intelligent detection of vehicle faults, intelligent assessment of their health status, and optimization of maintenance schedules, thereby reducing maintenance costs. By adopting new materials and technologies, the maintenance costs over the vehicle’s entire life cycle have been reduced by 22%.
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According to Liu Jinzhu, chief designer at CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., the main structural components of the \"Carbon Star Fast Rail\", such as its car body and bogie frames, are made from carbon fiber composite materials, marking the world’s first commercial use of carbon fiber composites in the main load-bearing structures of subway vehicles. Compared to traditional subways, this carbon fiber subway train has been completely upgraded: it is lighter and more energy-efficient, offers greater comfort for passengers, has higher strength, results in less wear on the wheels and rails, and has lower maintenance costs. A lighter vehicle is more energy-efficient. Compared to vehicles made of traditional metal materials, the vehicle body weighs 25% less, the bogie frame weighs 50% less, and the overall weight of the vehicle is reduced by about 11%. The vehicle is lighter, which makes it more energy-efficient in operation; energy consumption is reduced by 7%, and each vehicle can cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 130 tons per year, which is equivalent to planting 101 acres of trees. It's more comfortable to ride. For the first time in commercial subway trains, active radial bogie technology is employed, which allows for active control of the wheels as they move radially through curves. This significantly reduces the \"howling\" sound that occurs when passing through curves; the noise level during curve negotiation is reduced by 15 decibels, while the noise inside the train is reduced by 2 decibels, resulting in a quieter operation. Higher strength. Compared to metal-bodied trains, the car body of this carbon fiber train has greater strength and a higher safety factor. At the same time, the bogie frame made of carbon fiber composite materials has greater impact resistance, is more fatigue-resistant, and has a longer structural lifespan. There is less wheel-rail wear. The lighter carbon fiber body reduces the vehicle’s axle load, lowering the wheel-rail force by over 15%, thereby reducing wheel-rail wear. The use of active radial bogies also reduces wear on the wheels and tracks. Operational costs are lower. Wheel-rail wear is reduced, and the maintenance required for vehicle wheel sets and tracks is significantly decreased. At the same time, by utilizing digital twin technology, this train features a SmartCare intelligent operation and maintenance platform for carbon fiber trains, which enables intelligent detection of vehicle faults, intelligent assessment of their health status, and optimization of maintenance schedules, thereby reducing maintenance costs. By adopting new materials and technologies, the maintenance costs over the vehicle’s entire life cycle have been reduced by 22%.
As an advanced lightweight material, carbon fiber boasts advantages such as light weight, high strength, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance, and is known as the \"king of new materials\". In the field of subway vehicles, carbon fiber composites have previously been used in non-load-bearing and semi-load-bearing components, but their commercial use in primary load-bearing structures remains unexplored. The Qingdao Metro Group, in collaboration with CRRC Sifang and other organizations, has worked together to overcome key technical challenges such as the integrated design of large-scale, complex carbon fiber load-bearing structures, efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes, as well as lifecycle validation and maintenance strategies. As a result, carbon fiber composites have been successfully applied to the load-bearing structures of commercial subway vehicles. Lightweighting is a key approach to reducing the energy consumption of rail vehicles and achieving greener, lower-carbon operations, with carbon fiber representing the future direction of development in lightweight material technologies. The carbon fiber subway trains have been successfully put into commercial operation, breaking through the limitations associated with weight reduction using traditional metal materials. This has led to an advancement in the lightweighting technology for rail vehicles in China, and it will play a vital role in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of urban rail transportation in the country, as well as helping the rail industry achieve its \"dual carbon\" goals. At the same time, it will also strongly drive the development of the entire composite material industry chain, and is of great significance for fostering new forms of productivity in rail equipment and building a modern industrial system for such equipment.