DLR Webcast from InnoTrans - Innovative nose protects trains during collisions

Which technologies do high-speed trains of the future need? This is the question being examined by researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) as part of the 'Next Generation Train' (NGT) project. A key aspect of the project is to save energy by reducing the weight of trains. This can be implemented, for example, with a special, lighter nose on multiple units. NGT Project Manager Joachim Winter explains in the webcast how the nose, exhibited at the international railway transport trade fair 'InnoTrans 2010', works. On existing multiple units, crash-absorbing components that are covered by a hood are subject to the full loads produced by a collision. The solution introduced by DLR at InnoTrans is a glass-fibre reinforced leading car nose that is an impact absorber itself and ensures that the vehicle structure behind it remains undamaged. Repairs are made by a simple exchange of the leading car nose. This is being demonstrated live for visitors to the DLR stand with a model.

dlr-webcast-from-innotrans-innovative-nose-protects-trains-during-collisions_187.mp4 ( / 22MB)