Industries are seeking new ways to develop and manufacture lighter and more flexibly usable vehicles – less weight means higher payloads and a better ROI. For a recent project, Austria’s ÖBB RCG wanted to design a new lighter, more flexible wagon system. The result was the TransANT wagon series, a lightweight construction concept with a modular design. The most important design principles were weight optimization, standardization, and modularization in production and maintenance, and the use of high-strength construction steel. To achieve these goals, a consortium of several companies used Altair’s CAE solution. By doing so they received a payload advantage of up to 4 tons, customizable logistic solutions, and reduced manufacturing complexity thanks to ~ 40 % less parts to assemble.

Nippon Sharyo uses AcuSolve simulation to make Japan’s bullet trains safer, more comfortable

Sharma & Associates (SA), a Chicago-based consulting firm that is focused on providing engineering solutions to the railroad industry, led the effort. Since 1995, SA have delivered safe, effective and efficient solutions to its customers, which include the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Association of American Railroads (AAR), railroads and transit agencies, rail car builders and rail car component manufacturers. The objective of the Altair ProductDesign team effort was to develop an ‘Engineer Protection System (EPS)’ that can protect train crew in frontal collisions (a common mode of train collision) from secondary impact injuries.

Numerical simulation aids in the design of passive safety systems to minimize passenger injury during railway accidents.