Rail vehicle structure and integrity

Summary

This course approaches the methods, techniques and tools used within structural integrity, fire and crashworthiness, with a focus on rail vehicle design and maintenance.

If you are looking to develop your broad knowledge and skills as a rail vehicle engineer, gaining an understanding of the structural integrity and fire systems areas of rail vehicle speciality is essential.

We have developed this course as part of the Institution’s traction and rolling stock course suite, to provide practical examples and case studies from both modern and historical fleets.

In the course we compare performance, changes and improvements in standards. You will leave with a certificate of learning to use towards evidence of ongoing CPD.

Who should attend?

We have designed this suite of courses for engineers working within traction and rolling stock. This includes recent graduates, engineers moving to a new traction and rolling stock role, infrastructure and asset managers, accident investigators, and design and maintenance engineers.

How will I benefit?

After the course, you will be able to:


• Recognise different types of structural failure and their common causes
• Understand the basic principles and design standards for mitigating against fatigue problems and proof load strength
• Describe the basic principles of structural crashworthiness, occupant protection, and relevant design features on a train
• Apply the methods used in design for structural integrity (fatigue, proof and energy absorption) and the methods of verification
• Describe the current practice in non-destructive testing regimes for safety critical components and their maintenance cycles
• Understand the essential requirements of fireworthiness standards for rolling stock and the common causes of train fires
• Explain what materials should and should not be used on trains for fire reasons

Key topics

• Structural failure
• Standards for structural integrity
• Proof and fatigue testing
• Causes of structural failure
• Causes of failure in safety critical components
• Crashworthiness
• Non-destructive testing
• Preservation fracture faces
• Examination of failed components
• Fireworthiness