Prototyping rail track for micro-people movers using additive manufacturing: Failure topology characterization

Chen, Shen-En; Shanmugam, Navanit Sri; Boyajian, David; Chavan, Vidya Subhash; Weber, Erika D.; Baarsons, Keith

doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122623

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The prototyping of the 3D printed PLA rail track consists of the production of 100 mm long beams that were produced with 3.175 mm diameter grooves in the top and bottom flanges for future sensor placements [6]. Figure 3 shows the CAD diagrams of the PLA rail track prototype where the web width is 3.40 mm, the top, and bottom flanges have widths of 10.67 mm and 19.05 mm, respectively, and the height of the member is 25.4 mm.…”

Section: D Printing Of Railroad Trackmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the track density was formed by a layering technique, the structural behavior is likewise dictated by both the layer directions and arrangements. A horizontal layering approach was used here since a vertical arrangement has been shown to result in lowered structural capacities [6]. Figure 5(a) shows an elevation view of a 20% track specimen that was formed by the horizontal layering technique.…”

Section: D Printing Of Railroad Trackmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, 3D printing using laser powder deposition has been applied for track repairs [5]. Chen et al [6] suggested using the 3D printing technology for onsite railroad track production, which has the advantage of minimizing the amount of earthwork required for customizing terrain constraints for traditional mill-manufactured tracks. It was demonstrated that this approach is a feasible way of producing 3D printed (7½ inch 190.5 mm) railroad tracks for guided MPMs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Web Stiffening of Additive Manufactured Polylactide (PLA) Railroad Tracks Using Fiberglass Wrapping

Shanmugam,

Chavan,

Boyajian

et al. 2023

Digit. Manuf. Technol.

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Three-dimensional (3D) printed railroad tracks can properly address the rendering of a variety of topographic profiles of naturally occurring landscapes and reduce construction costs. Load tests of PLA railroad tracks found that web failure is a dominant failure mode. This paper evaluates the web stiffening strategies of additively fabricated PLA railroad tracks for rail-guided, micro-people movers (MPMs). To strengthen the track web, web-widening with additional PLA material and stiffening using composite reinforcement using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) wrap have been investigated. The composite wrapping technique was conducted by bonding fiberglass cloth to both sides of the web using a polymeric resin. Flexural load tests were conducted on the specimens with different infill volume percentages. A linear trend was observed on the peak bending capacities of specimens with PLA infill fiber contents ranging between 20% to 100%. Different failure modes were observed for the different percentage specimens during the tests. When compared to their unreinforced counterparts, the 60% infill specimen had the largest increase in strength about 1,500 N in bending with the addition of GFRP wrap. The tangent stiffnesses of all samples were calculated which showed the 100% infill specimen had the highest increase of approximately 50%. The wrapping reinforcement was found to significantly modify the failure mechanisms of the 3D-printed tracks with different infill volume percentages. The strengthening of the 3D-printed tracks using GFRP wrapping is also shown to be similar to the widening of web sections of the additively printed railroad tracks.

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Section: D Printing Of Railroad Trackmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: D Printing Of Railroad Trackmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Web Stiffening of Additive Manufactured Polylactide (PLA) Railroad Tracks Using Fiberglass Wrapping

Shanmugam,

Chavan,

Boyajian

et al. 2023

Digit. Manuf. Technol.

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“…Farahani et al (2019) used AM to develop a prototype model for a railway tunnel as a tool for evaluating the performance of a 3D-scanning system for inspection. Chen et al (2021) investigated the use of fused deposition modelling, a polymer-based AM process to produce prototype railroad tracks for micropeople movers. 2020) produced a weight-optimized prototype for a knuckle that is part of a system for connecting rail-cars.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Additive Manufacturing Technology Selection

Muvunzi

Mpofu

Khodja

et al. 2022

International Journal of Manufacturing, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering

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Additive manufacturing is a popular emerging technology of producing parts directly from digital models. This technology has presented benefits such as freedom of design, the ability to customise, and shortened process chains. Presently, there are different Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes that are available in the market. Often, transport equipment manufacturing companies are faced with challenges while selecting the AM processes that are suited to their needs. Decision-makers need to consider all the underlining factors before a conclusion is reached. This paper proposes an approach that can be used by companies in the rail sector to select AM technologies that are suited to their applications. The approach involves identifying suitable parts, comparing applicable AM technologies and selecting the most suitable technology. The next stage involves re-designing the parts based on the selected technology. The approach is applied to benchmark parts from the industry. The study provides enlightenment on how AM can be applied in the rail industry.

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“…Ref. [73] adopted the fused deposition modelling method to fabricate composite rails for micro-people movers (MPM) and evaluated the failure modes of the printed rails with different polylactide fibre contents (material density) under static load tests. The size of the printed rail and the test settings are present in Figure 5.…”

Section: Railsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Review on Additive Manufacturing Technology in Railway Infrastructure Systems

Kaewunruen

2021

J. Compos. Sci.

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Additive manufacturing technologies, well known as three-dimensional printing (3DP) technologies, have been applied in many industrial fields, including aerospace, automobiles, shipbuilding, civil engineering and nuclear power. However, despite the high material utilization and the ability to rapidly construct complex shaped structures of 3D printing technologies, the application of additive manufacturing technologies in railway track infrastructure is still at the exploratory stage. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research of additive manufacturing technologies related the railway track infrastructure and discusses the challenges and prospects of 3D printing technology in this area. The insights will not only help the development of 3D printing technologies into railway engineering but also enable smarter railway track component design and improve track performance and inspection strategies.

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Prototyping rail track for micro-people movers using additive manufacturing: Failure topology characterization

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Web Stiffening of Additive Manufactured Polylactide (PLA) Railroad Tracks Using Fiberglass Wrapping

Web Stiffening of Additive Manufactured Polylactide (PLA) Railroad Tracks Using Fiberglass Wrapping

A Framework for Additive Manufacturing Technology Selection

State-of-the-Art Review on Additive Manufacturing Technology in Railway Infrastructure Systems

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