China is well known for its innovation in technology and has made another remarkable breakthrough after building the first ever carbon fibre train, called Cetrovo 1.0 or the Carbon Star Rapid Transit, which was unveiled in Qingdao, in the eastern province of Shandong on Wednesday.
According to the South China Morning Post, the train is made from material that makes it 11 percent lighter in mass and more energy efficient than conventional trains, cutting energy consumption by 7 percent and reduces C02 emissions by 130 tons – which in comparison, is equivalent to planting more than 40 hectares (100 acres) of trees.
According to DragonPlate, the carbon fibre is a material consisting of thin, strong crystalline filaments of carbon, essentially carbon atoms bonded together in long chains. It is five times lighter in weight, which makes it a lot stronger than steel trains due to the materials resistance to deformation or or “modulus of elasticity”.
According to its developer Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Co, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation, the train completed its in-factory testing and is now ready for operations in the coastal city later this year.
The body structure of the train includes a car body and bogie frame, which are usually constructed from steel in a box shape that looks like a wheeled wagon or trolley, making it 25 percent and 50 percent lighter. “In the field of rail transit, a key technology is to reduce the vehicle’s body weight and its energy consumption while ensuring vehicle performance towards a greener, low-carbon future,” said by Qingdao Sifang on WeChat.
During a trial run in Qingdao, tabloid Global Times reported that Cetrovo trains are designed with a high speed of 140km (87 miles) per hour, which is much faster than the current average speed of a conventional train, being 80km per hour. It is also fully automated and driverless that can manoeuvre around curved or steep tracks, and can operate in harsh environments, such as high temperatures or altitudes.
Traditional metro trains are made from steel, aluminium alloy, and other materials, and it has been reported that one of the biggest challenges faced throughout the carbon fibre construction process, was reducing the weight of the train. The construction company said the train had a smart anti-collision early warning system and an obstacle detection system, which automatically sends out alerts and stop the train during an emergency.
Furthermore, the train has incorporated over 2,000 sensors and 130 algorithms for predictive equipment failure analysis, reducing the cost of train maintenance by 30 percent. The price of Carbon fibre has dropped steadily over the years and has been mainly used in aerospace as a luxury material but is now being used to a more common material used in products such as cars and bicycles.
Carbon fibre has been around since 1860 and was introduced in 1879, which cost around US$200 per pound (454 grams) and decreased by the end of the 2000s to US$30 to US$50 per pound. The price of industrial grade-carbon fibre are between US$7 to US$15 per pound.
China Railway Construction Corporation won its first US contract in 2014, supplying metro trains to Boston and is now the biggest rolling stock manufacturer. Qingdao Sifang, founded in 1900, is now one of the oldest rolling stock manufacturers in China.
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