Page 10 - Research and innovation In advanced materials with application to the railway sector

SUSTAINABILITY

As in other sectors of the economy and society, sustainability criteria overlap with
innovation objectives and developments. In the field of railway infrastructure, the works
aimed at the development of bituminous mixtures on a sustainable basis are interesting for
their use at different levels of the railway section, such as in sub-ballast layer or as track on
bituminous slab. Among the different sustainable solutions, it is worth highlighting the
reduction of the manufacturing temperature, the incorporation of recycled aggregates from
deteriorated pavements and the modification of the binder with recycled polymers. Also
note the development of components such as rail jackets, with the aim of eliminating the
use of plastic components and facilitating recovery and recycling processes.

Within the area of metallic materials, initiatives have been launched to combat CO2
emissions (Green Steel) and achieve carbon neutral steel by 2050. Initiatives such as
“ecological steel” certificates and “recycled and produced steel in a renewable way ", which
certifies that the steel has been manufactured through the route, electric arc furnace,
connected to renewable electricity, with a carbon footprint as low as 300 kilograms / ton.

IV. FACILITIES

The overhead contact line and other facilities and track and safety elements are fields in
which innovation and the use of new advanced materials play a fundamental role, in line
with what was stated in the previous version of this document.

By applications, we can highlight the area of durability and increased life cycle in extreme
conditions of cold, heat and humidity, the wear caused by suspended particles and the
actions derived from the wind itself. In this area, innovation and new advanced materials
continue to play an important role in reducing costs associated with installation and
maintenance.

The construction of the facilities must sometimes be carried out in places that are difficult
to access. Furthermore, the complexity of this type of operation can be significantly
increased due to the impossibility of having in the area the necessary equipment that eases
installation. The catenary, the posts, brackets and cable-stayed arms are often complex to
transfer to the installation site due to weight and size limitations.

There is the possibility of making use of alternative materials that, in addition to offering
the required features, offer a lower weight and facilitate transport, approach and assembly
operations. In this sense, the profiles of polymeric matrix composite materials have
excellent characteristics of lightness and resistance in extreme environmental conditions of
cold or heat, humidity, or solar radiation. The manufacture of these profiles using pultrusion
techniques is a very competitive solution in which the manufacturing and painting
automation processes are being the subject of various R+D+I projects.

The contact phenomena between catenary and pantograph has always been a focus of
research and development, due to the problems of mechanical wear and requirements of
electrical properties. Tribological studies of the materials have aimed to improve
performance, minimizing energy losses and wear. Traditionally, these studies have been
limited to electrolytic copper and other copper alloys with alloys such as Cr, Zr, Ag and Mg
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Position paper: Research and innovation in advanced materials with application to the railway sector
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