 "Kawasaki's new-generation railcar truck the efWING")
Toho Tenax Co Ltd, the core company of the Teijin Group’s carbon fibres and composites business, has agreed with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd to jointly develop a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) leaf spring that can be mass-produced for railcar trucks. The leaf spring was initially developed in 2013 and is already used in Kawasaki’s new-generation railcar truck, the efWING.
Toho Tenax will help establish an integrated system encompassing everything from the carbon fibre’s original yarn to the actual CFRP leaf springs. The new mass-production system will enable the efWING to be marketed on a global scale.
“Teijin Group is accelerating its downstream strategy by leveraging its high-performance carbon fibre, with one such result being this joint development with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Teijin Group aims to expand its carbon fibre and composite businesses by increasingly focusing on innovative transportation solutions, a key element focus of our downstream strategy,” said Takashi Yoshino, Teijin group executive officer, who is also general manager of the group’s carbon fibres & composites business unit and president of Toho Tenax.
Conventional railcar trucks use side frames and independent coil springs made of steel, but the efWING is the world’s first to combine these components in a simplified solution made of CFRP. The lighter materials and simplified design help to reduce the truck frame’s weight by some 900 kg per railcar. Benefits include more efficient running costs and lower CO2 emissions, as well as the reduction in the risk of wheel derailment.
Teijin is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibres such as aramid, carbon fibres & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibres, products converting and IT.
