AUS have been awarded two contracts to lead Innovative projects that will make railways safer, greener, and more reliable.
The Department for Transport and Innovate UK launched a £9.4 million Small Business Research Initiative called First of a Kind 2020 to find this century’s Brunel & boost innovation in Rail.
AUS proposed two projects, both of which will start in July 2020 and conclude in March 2021
1. A Novel, Low Environmental Impact, Composite Railway Footbridge Project Costs: £399,466
The objective of this project is to demonstrate a new method of connecting fibre reinforced plastics together to form a footbridge.
The FRP TRUSS Connection System
The benefits of this technology include:
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A structure that is as stiff and strong as a steel equivalent but at least 60% lighter
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No maintenance requirements (corrosion)
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High thermal resistance and stability
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Easily maintained should vandalism occur
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Electrically non-conductive – Major benefits for electrified railways
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75% reduction in carbon emissions
A traditional Footbridge of the configuration that will be replicated using the FRP Truss System
2. Minimising disruption of overhead line renewals via novel headspan assemblies Project Costs: £321,542
The objective of this project is to demonstrate an innovative replacement for a Span Wire Clamp Assembly.
The benefits of the AUS’ design include:
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A reduction in components of more than 50% and a mass reduction of 66%
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An estimated 4-fold reduction in installation time
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Unconditional corrosion resistance
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A more reliable and resilient design – to be proven via testing and computational analysis
Project Partners Include: