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The company Camm Solutions offers an ecological alternative to plastic packaging in the transport sector. Their Air Pillows are made of thin, FSC-certified paper and a layer of Camm material. This mixture allows for disposal in the paper recycling bin, as the Camm material dissolves quickly when water is added. The paper fibers are 100% recycled, while the sealing and barrier layers made of Camm material can be removed without leaving any residue. Auer Packaging offers transport rollers with a linking system that reliably and securely connects Euro containers with a stable transport aid. Watlow has developed high-temperature heating jackets specifically designed for semiconductor processing. These heating jackets allow for uniform heating of pipes and minimize downtime of process tools. Boge has developed the oil-free screw compressor SO-3, which has high energy efficiency and offers low overall costs over its lifespan. [Extracted from the article]

The article describes new surfactants made from recycled carbon that enable a better CO2 balance in household cleaning products. These surfactants are produced from industrial waste and gas emissions and have amphiphilic properties that make them attractive for foam formation, cleaning effectiveness, and emulsion stabilization. An example of such a surfactant is EcoSense ™ 2470 by Dow. It is produced through a process where captured carbon emissions are converted into ethanol through gas fermentation. EcoSense ™ 2470 demonstrates better washing performance compared to other fossil-based surfactants and bio-surfactants. BYK offers a variety of additives for cleaning and care products and presents them at the SEPAWA 24 trade fair. The article emphasizes the importance of sustainable cleaning products for CO2 balance and cleaning performance. [Extracted from the article]

Voith Turbo, a Tier-1 supplier for commercial vehicles, is discussing the challenges and opportunities related to the introduction of electromobility, fuel cells, and hydrogen burners. Procurement at Voith Turbo is globally organized, with strategic purchasing along the Rail & Marine, Commercial Vehicles, and Industry divisions, as well as regional purchasing in China, India, the USA, Brazil, and Europe. Voith Turbo has joined the Science-Based Targets initiative to determine its greenhouse gas footprint and is working on optimizing its CO2 footprint through material selection and the development of hybrid and fully electric products. The demand for climate data from suppliers is increasing, and green steel is becoming increasingly important, with the question of willingness to share the additional costs in the supply chain. Digitization also plays an important role, both in procurement and in development. Voith Turbo is a globally active company with the corporate divisions Hydro, Paper, and Turbo, employing 22,000 employees. [Extracted from the article]

The recycling industry is discussed in an article in the magazine "Fluid". It reports on a horizontal, fully automatic baling press by HSM that transforms paper, cardboard, films, and production waste into bales. The machine has a pressing force of up to 150 tons and reduces the wear of the press cylinder and the press plate guides through a fully cardanic press cylinder suspension. The topic of the article is the recycling industry and the technical details of the baling press. [Extracted from the article]

The recycling industry is discussed in an article in the magazine "Fluid". It reports on a horizontal, fully automatic baling press by HSM, which transforms paper, cardboard, films, and production waste into bales with a pressing force of up to 150 tons. The machine has a wear-resistant steel pusher and a fully cardanic press cylinder suspension to reduce wear. The picture shows the channel of the baling press at this year's IFAT. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents in two pieces a user-centered problem-solving process for the healthcare system based on design thinking. It outlines the approach, the mindset and a toolset for implementation. It also proposes a model for integrating design thinking into health professions education. Teachers should be sensitized to include approaches to promote design thinking in education, training, and patient education. A special focus of the article is the training of teachers as multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this chapter of the three-part series in the magazine Fluid, it is explained how AAS, OPC UA, and AML can create interoperability together without competing with each other, and how to avoid problems such as double modeling or double development. The Administration Shell, AutomationML, and OPC UA together form a comprehensive digital interoperability solution for devices, software, and assets throughout their entire lifecycle. Recommendations are given to avoid proliferation and to utilize existing formats and information models instead of re-modeling them. It is recommended to use the AAS as a lifecycle document that enables unified access to data and facilitates interoperability throughout the lifecycle. This paper was developed to provide guidance and application recommendations for interoperability. It describes how the technologies AAS, AML, and OPC UA fit together and how interoperability can be achieved across domains. The authors provide specific application recommendations and emphasize that interoperability is not achieved through a single global model, but through a clever combination of different standards. The associations and organizations declare their willingness to collaborate in order to avoid double standardization. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents in two pieces a user-centered problem-solving process for the healthcare system based on design thinking. It outlines the approach, the mindset and a toolset for implementation. It also proposes a model for integrating design thinking into health professions education. Teachers should be sensitized to include approaches to promote design thinking in education, training, and patient education. A special focus of the article is the training of teachers as multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From June 13th to 15th, 2022, the 13th International Fluid Technology Colloquium took place in Aachen. The event served as a platform for experts in hydraulic and pneumatic drive, control, and regulation technology to exchange ideas. Despite the COVID situation, 408 participants from 21 countries attended. The colloquium included 116 presentations, a trade exhibition, and covered topics such as tribology, electrification, digitalization, and sustainability. The focus was particularly on the connection between science and industry, as well as the topics of manufacturing and sustainability. Prof. Katharina Schmitz presented the potential of fluid technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in her lecture. She emphasized the importance of energy efficiency and the changing public opinion and attitudes among manufacturers. Students increasingly ask questions about the contribution of fluid technology to improving the world. The next IFK colloquium is planned for March 2024 in Dresden and will focus on the diversity in drive architectures and digitalization. A Best Paper Award was given for a research paper on calculating sealing friction in pneumatic components. [Extracted from the article]

At the Hannover Messe 2023, various companies such as Siemens, Bausch+Ströbel, Bosch Rexroth, Cadenas, Festo, Harting, Sick, Phoenix Contact, and Wago were presented on how the administration shell can be implemented in practice. The administration shell is a manufacturer-independent and industry-neutral standard promoted by the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA). Siemens supported this use case with the help of software solutions from the Siemens-Xcelerator portfolio. The partners jointly evaluated the added value of the administration shell based on a specific use case at Bausch+Ströbel. In addition, various organizations and associations have published a discussion paper on interoperability to provide guidance and recommendations for action. [Extracted from the article]

The Proportional Valve Island VTEP from Festo enables extremely sensitive pressure control down to below 1 mbar and reduces the consumption of compressed air by up to 50%. The valve island uses piezo technology, is noiseless, wear-free, and free of copper, nickel, and zinc. It is used in various areas such as wafer manufacturing, battery production, and medical technology. Festo is also developing other products in the field of Controlled Pneumatics, such as the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM and the Proportional Pressure Control Valve VEAB. Piezo valves are used in various areas due to their low energy consumption, noiselessness, and durability. [Extracted from the article]

The article is about the demand for funding for higher education nursing training and the further expansion of nursing degree programs. Various organizations such as the Association of Nursing Directors of University Hospitals and Medical Schools in Germany (VPU e. V.) and the German Nursing Council have published a joint position paper emphasizing the need for comprehensive higher education qualification for nursing professionals. The nursing degree program aims to modernize and make the qualification for nursing professionals contemporary and attractive. Additionally, the article provides information about a call for papers for a handbook on nursing didactics, as well as dates for various nursing congresses and events. [Extracted from the article]

In order to ensure efficient operation of freight vehicles, information about individual carriers and their freight during transportation must be available to different stakeholders of railway operation. Under the topic of an “intelligent freight car", this paper illustrates the use of sensors for instant detection and assessment of different conditions of vehicle movement and operation. Based on special railway requirements, concepts for flat spot detection, freight loading as well as shunting impacts are discussed. In addition, the paper outlines necessary telematics for positioning and communication, which are important for the implementation of compact telematics. The investigations took place as part of the research project Smart Rail Cargo (compact retrofittable telematics system for intelligent freight cars) within the framework of the funding program “Central Innovation Programme for SMEs" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ballast quality influences the opposing behavior of renewal and maintenance costs, the sum of which makes up an important part of the life cycle costs of the railway superstructure. The optimal ballast quality results from the minimum of costs. Finding them requires the clarification of three basic questions: First, how is the quality of the ballast defined? Second: What influence does the ballast quality have on maintenance? Third, what is the relationship to life cycle costs? The present paper contains a method for answering these three questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rail wear is easy to measure, but the calculation of the permissible wear (al loss of cross section) is a challenge. Only in a few mechanical engineering fields is a strength analysis in a corrosive environment with simultaneously loss of cross section necessary. Part 1 shows an approach of the probabilistic calculation of the acting loads with a modern lifetime calculation is presented, which allows a more differentiated dimensioning of the permissible rail wear with knowledge of local load distribution processes. This requires a good database, which Switzerland now can use after a longtime of preparation. An overview is given of the distribution of guiding forces, modules of subsoil as well as the changes of load distribution in the overall network. Part 1 concludes with the presentation of the calculation tool and exemplary results. Part 2 of the paper will present the key functionality - the differentiated load mapping - as well the potential reduction of rail exchange in SBB's network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In railway systems, timetables and infrastructure are key components for satisfying transport needs. In order to find a feasible configuration that satisfies the complex set of requirements, numerous timetables and track topologies have to be evaluated. Therefore, there is an immense need for automatic timetable and track topology design. This paper discusses the concept of creating abstraction layers based on a data model to support and simplify these designs. It uses different state-of-the-art models and combines them so that all aspects of railway operation are included. Using this method, a layer model has been developed that was inspired by the OSI Reference Model and takes current developments such as the UIC RailTopoModel into consideration. Possible applications of such a layer model are the automatic generation of timetables and track topologies, as well as entrance data for synchronous railway simulations for capacity evaluation, and a universal representation of a railway network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asset Management is nowadays more and more migrated into the Cloud. The obvious rationale behind that is the cheap cost structure, high availability and high scalability. When migrating asset management from a traditional on-premises infrastructure into the cloud it is not sufficient just to install the software in virtual servers. The cloud platforms of the various vendors offer services that completely differ from traditional IT hardware. However, the new features provide opportunities to design and operate new cost-effective and more powerful solutions for asset management. The paper first presents the solution elements required for asset management in the cloud, such as short and longterm storage, databases, computing capacity, and control and orchestration. In the second part, the solution elements are combined into architectural patterns that bring out the added value of cloud native asset management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to calculate, simulate, and optimize the energy demand of train runs, the running resistances have to be modeled. Mostly, simplified - e.g. the Davis equation - or approximated formulas for part resistances are used. This also applies for the aerial resistance: for cw value, effective surface area, air density, and relative air speed, either approximate or norm values are used in general. Contrariwise, aerodynamic investigations show that the aerial resistance does not decay with the cosine of the increasing yaw angle as the use of relative air speed indicates; in contrast, the aerial resistance increases up to a yaw angle of 60°. In this paper, a numerical model including this phenomenon is presented; moreover, wheel flange contact occurrence as consequence of side wind forces is discussed. The presented case studies confirm that the wind and its yaw angle may have a relevant influence on the energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses the application of Life Cycle Assessment on three different types of rail track (ballasted track with wooden sleepers, concrete sleepers and concrete sleepers with under sleeper pads) used within the Austrian rail network. A comparison is carried out between the environmental impacts of these superstructure configurations throughout their whole life cycle. This includes production, installation, removal and maintenance as well as disposal. The functional unit is defined as the “provision of 1 km double track for a year". Additional parameters are determined to ensure a reasonable comparability. The results show that the prolongation of service life caused by under sleeper pads reduces the environmental impact per year significantly. Thus, this type of superstructure can be considered the most environmentally friendly, whereas wooden track shows the highest environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a proposal for a simplistic reference system for railways, which is intended to promote a common basic operational understanding and contribute to operational interoperability. Railways are obtained in quite constrained and discrete space leading to an incomparity with that of a road or pedestrian system as a person cannot participate in its operation as an individual. Beginning with a simplified railway system, which includes simplified vehicles and elements of infrastructure, individual vehicle movements are analyzed in a fictive environment. In this case, it is determined that an extensive infrastructure need is required for an individual driving behavior. To run a railway system under good economical conditions, control and signaling technology is in use. Taking this into consideration a simplistic reference system can be defined, in that substantial system characteristics and functional aims are considered. This allows a delimitation of railway against other transport systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High dynamic range (HDR) allows to capture an enormous range of luminance values. But in the near future the consumers will not have appropriate displays to see the quality difference. To improve the picture quality for SDR as well as HDR displays a new method is described in this paper. The basic idea is to analyse each luminance value for its relevance in the image and discard unimportant ones. This "virtual aperture" will be processed on the whole image and on image sections. Finally the tone mapping result will be composed with the corrected chrominance values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Bombardier long-distance double deck trains for SBB, which belong supplier internally to the TWINDEXX platform, allow for the first time for increased curve speed of double-deck trains. This is provided by the bogie-integrated roll compensation system FLEXX Tronic WAKO. FLEXX Tronic WAKO comprises the tilt function, the active lateral suspension and the crosswind function. This paper describes the activities needed for homologation and product validation. The differences with regard to a conventional vehicle are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deutsche Bahn AG and the German Railway Industry Association (VDB) are going to build up a quality partnership in the development of railway vehicles and have for this purpose signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Based on the target to improve the whole development process within the scope of purchasing projects this paper describes the layout of a quality engineering structured in the three levels of principles, systematics and methods. The single elements of this quality engineering will be introduced, the advantages of its application for the participants of railway and railway industry which are involved in the process will be pointed out. Finally the paper is concluded by the next steps leading up to the installation of quality engineering as a regular procedure of Deutsche Bahn AG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of whether climate, resources, or expenses are your concern - it is inevitably to save fossil fuels, if industrial furnaces and kilns are under discussion. The "tools" for that can be placed into a virtual "tool cabinet". In the upper drawers we can put the most rigorous tools like the omitting of complete thermal processes. Unfortunately, those are applicable not too often. In the middle drawers there are tools, which in most cases are useful, like the different methods to reduce heat losses. Down in the tool cabinet, we find tools, that make necessary thinking across borders of processes, like cogeneration schemes. In the paper, all the drawers of the tool cabinet will be opened and looked at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The requirements of availability of SBB infrastructure elements are among the highest of mixed traffic railways. It is shown, that there is no alternative to low, non-restrictive intervention limits in case of traditional asset management, without intelligent procedures which supports the calculation of trends, especially the prog¬ nosis of track behavior. The approach of low, non-restrictive intervention limits has the great disadvantage, that the focus of the systematic track maintenance is replaced by focus and managing only of local track irregularities. In case of low limits it is obvious, there are the limits exceeded in many parts of the network. Conversely, railways with lower availability require¬ ments can provide higher, more restrictive limit values, which, if exceeded, can provide an repair intervention but also use speed restrictions immediately. The approach of higher but restrictive limit provides space systematic track maintenance and these is reducing the density of track irregularities. SBBs department of track asset management has calculated, ana¬ lyzed and compared the expected quantity of the approaches of old and new intervention limits. The results are the amount of cumulative length distribution of track repair (tamping) based on the local prognosis over the next 1.5 years The paper shows the additional costs due to the statistical reli¬ ability of the prognosis. These are the costs which are opposed to availability requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loads on wheelsets, resulting from torsional vibrations have to be considered in the dimensioning of the axles and press fits. The evaluation of these loads is generally done by extensive test runs and measurement of the respective stresses on the axle. With the proposed process and system analysis it will become possible to predict the maximum torques on the basis of analytical methods. The first part handles the system and model description, illustrating the required quality and complexity of the models for an adequate prediction of the system behaviour. In part two, the physical analysis and safety considerations will be described. In a later paper, a comprehensive description is given for a more general understanding of the complex issue, together with a simplified assessment method for the criticality of a product concerning torsional vibrations. The published articles are written on behalf of Bombardier Transportation Switzerland AG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squealing of railway block brakes is an annoying noise phenomenon for passengers, staff and residents of railway lines and stations. Compared to squealing of automotive or railway disk brakes there are almost no scientific publications with respect to this topic. The present paper shows the results of vibration tests performed with railway block brakes at freight wagons. Therefore, wagons equipped with cast iron, LL and K brake shoes were investigated with experimental modal analysis and operational modal analysis. Also noise measurements were performed. Possible influences of the preload by the weight of the vehicle on resonance frequencies and vibration shapes of the wheels are investigated via Finite Element Analysis and possible modifications of the railway block test rig at TU Berlin are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an intensified competitive environment the knowledge of customer structures and requirements increasingly becomes a strategic competitive advantage. Despite a high importance customer segmentations often fail due to a lack of sustainable operational feasibility. The paper presents conventional segmentation approaches in passenger services and specifies the value-to-value (V2V) segmentation developed by the authors. This approach combines the two value perspectives of customer value management (the customer and the business perspective). In addition to the concept and the operationalization of a V2V segmentation options for sales and marketing activities based of this new customer and market perspective are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German Railway Industry is committed to the objectives of digitization of rail transport and the necessary digital innovations. The main objectives are more climate protection, more comfort and more efficiency. These objectives and the ways to achieve the goals like innovation promotion, digitization of infrastructure and intelligent maintenance are described in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes common temperature control schemes for gas melting furnaces. A scheme for a closed loop control is introduced. Normally controllers are implemented for the control of the power of the systems that utilize only one of the temperatures mentioned. This temperature is driven to a given set point by modulating the power of the burners; the other temperature will, when reaching an upper limit value, switch of the burners completely. Other temperature measurements may also lead to cut-off of burners. A control scheme, known as override control, is introduced, that uses more than one process value to control the power of the burners. These process values may be the temperature of the ceiling of the furnace, the temperature of the hot flue gas and in addition the temperature in the stack. The paper will be published in two parts. This first part deals mainly with the theoretical basics. The second part of the article will compare a simple control scheme just based on the ceiling temperature of the furnace to a more sophisticated override control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nachhaltigkeit sorgt dafür, dass globale Produktions- und Konsumverhaltensmuster mit den Umweltzielen vereinbar sind. Um zu helfen, sowohl die Klimakrise als auch andere ökologische Herausforderungen wie Wasserverbrauch und Entstehung von Abfall zu lösen, hat DHL ein neues White Paper „Delivering on Circularity" veröffentlicht. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assisted, Automated and Autonomous driving dominate not only the discussions in the automotive sector but also in the industry of rail transportation. At the Institute of Rail Vehicles and Transport Systems (IFS) of RWTH Aachen University these expressions are summarized by the headword “Triple A". They describe similar items, namely the possibilities of using modern communication and information technology to relieve the driv­ ers and finally replace them. Their meaning though is totally different. In this paper a trial is made on definitions of the three mentioned expressions and on a mutual demarcation. Based on this, possibilities are discussed on which strategy - autonomous, automatic or just assisted - is to prefer for each particular rail transport means and what are the deficiencies and risks. In par­ ticular the different braking abilities and the different interfaces to other traffic participants lead to diverse proposals on how to achieve driverless or driver-assisted operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BOMBARDIER FLEXX Urban 3000 bogie platform is used for 100 % low-floor trams. Its characteristics are low noise, high comfort, robustness, reliability and high level of safety. The FLEXX Urban 3000 bogie platform includes various configurations, which have been described in this paper in 2013. It has now reached the next steps in his development, which are described in this article. FLEXX® is a registered trademark of Bombardier and includes eight Platforms from FLEXX Urban for city traffic until FLEXX Power for Locomotives or FLEXX Speed for High speed trains. More than 200 000 FLEXX® bogies are in service in 44 countries all over the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper illustrates the challenges in multiple engineering fields of general planning services for a complex infrastructure project, using the example of VDE 8.1 - railtrack extension/ upgrade Nuremberg-Ebensfeld. Part one gives a brief overview about the overall project VDE 8, which is followed by a showcase describing engineering challenges and solutions in the fields of railway facilities and civil engineering structures. Apart from the history of planning procedures, the 3rd part displays the idea of a synchronous, consensus-oriented design/engineering solution in order to promptly achieve construction permit and to finish planning works. In the final part an overview of “lessons learned" is listed that could be helpful in the future to simplify and to economise planning processes of prospective infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parallel to an commercial ETCS (European Train Control System) retrofit project for the ICE-T train sets of Deutsche Bahn in which an open source license for the ETCS on-board equipment software, and a software maintenance contract had been contracted for the first time, a research and development project had been started in 2012 and was finished in 2015 with the goal to develop a model based formalization of the official ETCS specification. The objective was to derive from the formal model a vendor-neutral reference software to give future users and test laboratories an independent reference implementation for the assessment of conformity with the specifications. In order for this „reference“ to be trustworthy, it must be completely transparent. Therefore, the „open proofs“ principle should come to use, in which are not only the reference software itself, but also the software tools and „proofs“ were under open source licenses. The paper reports on the results of the work within the international ITEA2 (Information Technology for the European Advancement) funded project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EcoTrain project aims at developing a serial hybrid railcar for the Erzgebirgsbahn. A standard class 642 rail vehicle is going to be converted into an innovative hybrid railcar. Three different approaches to hybridization are explained in conjunction with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore the simulation tool IVIsion which was used to dimension the train components is explained along with the achieved simulation results. The paper concludes with an introduction to the so-called energy management module (EEM). This module predicts the vehicle's movement along the track and calculates recommendations for energy flow and driving style based on the schedule and current position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As announced at the last Congress in Graz, in the group wide project “Identification of the wear reduction potential of the ÖBB-fleet locomotives" some prototypes have been tested for one year and the measured data was analysed. In this paper the vehicle based measures like the special bogie equipment, the monitoring of the wheel wear and the accomplished test runs for investigation of the traction force are presented. Additionally the infrastructural measures like building the specific measuring site in Schwechat, the monitoring of the dynamic forces and the test runs over other measuring sites are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By intelligent control on the control levels between the traction controller, the train bus in multiple traction and the wheel sets of the locomotive, an optimum with respect to performance, availability, wear and energy efficiency can be achieved. The paper presents the control strategies in multiple traction with different trainbusses (ZMS, WTC UIC etc.) in mixed configurations, control methods in the vehicle and adhesion control of Bombardier TRAXX locomotives. Measurement results of track tests visualize the achieved results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and pragmatic management of the amount of maintenance requires suitable performance indicators. The aim is to reduce the available information as much as possible, but only as much as needed. These performance indicators must depict all damage types and their rectification methods. To constitute a complete causal indicator system their interaction has to be modelled. Costs, availability as well as safety risks can be contained as long as maintenance intervention takes place early in the damage cycle. A residual risk remains in case a comprehensive monitoring over time of all state variables on assets cannot be ensured. In addition, a potentially non-reliable damage prediction would limit early intervention. This will lead to a self-reinforcing trend of damage progression and applicable maintenance levels: From a deviation to a failure, from preventive maintenance to troubleshooting. This paper introduces an approach to verify and control the amount of maintenance by target based performance indicators. The model takes into account the interaction between damage progression and rectification method. The Asset Management of Swiss Federal Railways aspires to implement such an approach to support its data based monitoring of track systems. In addition, a description of a self-adjusting control loop is given. The loop controls the amount of maintenance according to defined target values. In general according target values can be chosen freely. However, they should be determined by optimal cost effectiveness of the system as a whole under consideration of the acceptable risk in the individual case. This approach ensures the achievement of management objectives particularly in view of increasing demands or new regulations on assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of heavy shunting locomotives is necessary to run shunting operations smoothly. The targets of the analysis of alternative powertrain configurations for shunting locomotives are fuel saving, creation of a flexible usable locomotive and the increase of the reliability of savings by automation processes. Necessary to that end are modular constructed simulation models, to manage the requirements for locomotives. By the use of modern technologies, especially energy storage, an expedient development is essential to minimize the risk and realizing alternative powertrains for shunting locomotives. The following paper shows the proceeding of the analysis and presents the study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the 7th EU Framework Programme, the research project SPIDER PLUS (Sustainable Plan for Integrated Development through the European Rail Network - Projecting Logistics and Mobility for Urban Spatial Design Evolution] was carried out between 2012 and 2015. The goal was to develop a passenger and freight mobility vision for 2050 encompassing seamless transportation, where electrified rail has the central role, and to identify ways in which the objectives defined by the European Commission in the “White Paper“ in March 2011 can be achieved. Starting from the project concept mainly the impact on the railway sector will be presented. This includes the integration of national rail systems into a European grid, elimination of infrastructure gaps and simplified homologation processes for vehicles and other railway equipment in order to achieve seamless, international rail traffic at a high quality level. Moreover respective framework conditions have to be set up by the politics and a broad market uptake has to be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual convention is the most important event of the German Society of Mechanical Engineering (DMG) in the course of a year. This year the key issue of the convention was “Railways Business without Engineers, is this Situation Visible in the Future? - Recruitment and Development of Junior Engineers". During the presentation of speeches different experts presented papers on the main topic seen from various points of view such as: from the perspective of science, of the industry, of DB AG and from the perspective of students. In a following panel discussion, the subject has been immersed. In addition, one Beuth Innovation Award was awarded to the young engineer Felix Kröger for his study about „Modelling and Implementation of Rail Conditioning on a Non-Skid-Device-Test-Rig“. A festive dinner with the awarding of the Beuth Medal of Honour to Dr.-Ing. Klaus Huber, who has made an enormous contribution to the field testing of modern electric locomotives and the training of train drivers terminated the meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to a standard spray arc, innovative gas-shielded metal arcs ensure high efficiency gains during welding. That is why Siemens Mobility AG has introduced a cutting-edge spray arc developed by EWM AG, Mündersbach, Germany, at its lo­comotive plant in Munich-Allach, Germany. A reduction of the included angle substantially reduces the number of weld seams required, which consequently results in significant savings in total costs. However, extensive trials and welding procedure tests had to be carried out before the process could be introduced. The technical paper describes the studies on fatigue testing, the classification in the body of standards and the extensive weld­ing tests required for integration in the production process for both companies involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]