Selection of pultruded composite materials for new, low-carbon emission, lightweight railways tracks, with a focus on mechanics, economics and sustainability
Résumé
In the context of decarbonizing transport, the selection of materials for lightweight pultruded composite railway tracks adapted for light trains has been achieved. The candidates are made of thermoplastic PA6 and of acrylic-based resin, as well as thermoset epoxy resin with carbon, glass, basalt and flax fibres. A comparison of the economic cost and carbon emissions of each configuration is presented. 175 tensile, compression and off-axis tests were performed. The elastic properties and sizing allowances are provided. An initial estimate of the ecological cost of materials combinations was assessed using a cradle-to-gate approach on raw materials with the Global Warming Potential (GWP) criterion only. The mechanical properties of composites made of acrylic resin are affected by the nature of the fibres due to poor impregnation and the presence of porosity. Compared to acrylic resin, PA6 resin achieves higher strength values. This suggests that the pultrusion process for PA6 resin is less challenging, as it minimizes the occurrence of porosity. As expected, better properties were obtained with carbon fibres, albeit at a significantly higher ecological cost. Configurations involving basalt fibres offer the best ecological cost/performance ratio. Therefore, basalt fibres open up new possibilities for designing and sizing the next generation of composite railways.
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