Outokumpu is able to offer options to reduce vehicle weight, reduce maintenance and improve energy efficiency when designing rail vehicles by using high-strength stainless steel grades. Outokumpu has a comprehensive range of stainless steel grades, dimensions and finishes that provide designers with exceptional possibilities to create innovative, light weight, railway vehicles of the future.
Passenger Vehicles
Arguably, passenger safety is the foremost consideration when designing passenger railcars. Thankfully, serious collisions are very infrequent these days, but higher operating speeds increase the likelihood of injury when they do occur.
Many railcar operators have chosen to construct carriages from austenitic stainless steel, in preference to alternative materials such as carbon steel and aluminium alloys, and this choice carries several safety-related benefits:
- high energy-absorption at impact
- a greater level of fire-resistance
- less likely than carbon steel to be weakened by corrosion
It is important, however, to recognise that increased passenger safety does not have to carry a cost penalty. Although stainless steel is inherently more expensive than some competing materials, its strength and corrosion-resistance enable thinner sections and panels to be used, which makes it more cost-competitive. In some cases, operators may choose to leave all or part of the carriages unpainted, which offers further savings in cost and weight.
A further attraction of lighter railcars is their impact on operating costs. Significant energy savings, especially on “commuter” and “metro” routes, result from overall weight savings.
Outokumpu is able to provide many high-strength offerings for passenger rail carbodies in high-strength temper rolled 301, 301LN, 201 (1.4310, 1.4318, 1.4372) and duplex stainless steel grades.
Freight Vehicles
Freight vehicles are now expected to perform at ever higher levels than before, with reduced maintenance, high wear resistance and reduced tare weight. Outokumpu can help you to meet these demands by utilising high-strength stainless steel to great advantage.
However, there is not always a high cost penalty in using stainless steels for freight wagons. The lean ferritic 12% Chromium types (1.4003, 3CR12) are utilised for coal and ore freight wagons, where they directly compete with carbon steels giving much increased corrosion resistance. Outokumpu is now able to offer these grades giving you longer vehicle life, reduced maintenance and overall better performance when transporting heavy commodities.
For the transport of chemicals, Outokumpu is able to offer special stainless steel grades to match the corrosion resistance and performance required.